Foreign language learning plays an important role in Finnish schools and society. While foreign languages used to be studied widely, in recent years interest has narrowed almost exclusively to English, leading to a possible shortage of speakers of other languages. One reason for this situation is that language studies are perceived as difficult and slow in progress. To address this challenge, the FunChinese project explores the pedagogical use of music in foreign language teaching with the goal of making learning more effective and enjoyable.
This research is part of the work conducted in the Cognitive Brain Research Unit. The unit is specialized in investigating learning across the life span in many different kinds of contexts, for instance by using games. As part of the Cognitive Brain Research Unit, the Brain, Music, and Learning team is investigating various forms of music learning and music-enriched learning.