Natalie Lukkenaer

I studied singing at the Rockacademie. And somewhere during those years, I completely lost my joy in singing. Slowly, year by year. It was so often about what wasn't good enough. My technique was fine, but my eyes looked "wrong". I sang in tune, but looked uncomfortable on stage. I addressed the audience with confidence, but was called "the schoolteacher" at every performance. It had to be perfect, but in the way the teachers wanted it to be. They would know, after all, because they came from...

One of my earliest musical memories goes back to primary school: singing together with the entire school in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It was a special experience. Every week a story was told and a candle was lit. At the beginning and end of the Advent celebrations, we sang together. What I remember most is the warmth, the sense of comfort, and the sound of 200 children’s voices shaking the assembly hall. Later on, when I studied music at the Rockacademie in Tilburg, my favourite...

Speaking up at work starts with knowing your values I still remember a moment at work when I didn’t speak up, and how deeply I regretted it. It happened at the German School in Nairobi. A German colleague made hurtful and disrespectful remarks about a student, based on assumptions about his gender identity. As a teacher, and as a human being, this crossed a line for me. Four values sit at the core of who I am in my work: freedom , authenticity, respect, and integrity . All children are equal....