Singing encourages speaking in Finnish
The Learn Finnish by Singing course helps international students and staff at Uniarts Helsinki to speak Finnish. Singing together and expressing the language holistically through music supports pronunciation as well as the activation and understanding of the spoken language, among other things. Music makes learning a language fun.
The idea that languages, too, can be learned with the help of art sparked interest at Uniarts Helsinki a few years ago. The Learn Finnish by Singing courses were organised five times in 2021–24 as part of Uniarts Helsinki’s internationalisation programme. Finnish language skills significantly help foreign people’s employment and integration into the Finnish society. Since the results have been promising, the courses will be organised this year, as well. The next course will be organised in spring 2025, in February or March. In Finnish, the course is called Opi suomea laulaen.
One of the course instructors, music teacher and choir conductor Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel, is currently finishing her doctoral dissertation at Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, exploring the potential of choir singing in learning Finnish as a second language. She has been developing the Learn Finnish by Singing approach since 2012, and has organised courses, workshops and choir activities related to the topic at various educational institutions, including in liberal adult education.
“This is an incredibly interesting and multidisciplinary topic that has not been studied very much. The idea of teaching Finnish through music was originally initiated by students’ wishes when I taught music as part of an integration training. Music allows for a very holistic approach to language. Music brings emotions and embodiment to the learning and teaching of Finnish. In our courses, everyone brings something to the table and contributes as a team effort,” Lehtinen-Schnabel says.
People at Uniarts Helsinki were inspired by this method of language teaching, which applies arts, creativity and current research to language learning. Lehtinen-Schnabel teamed up with Uniarts Helsinki’s Finnish language lecturer Sanna Teerenhovi and planned a course suitable for Uniarts Helsinki’s international students and staff.
“Language teaching at universities has changed enormously over the past twenty years, and more attention is being paid to speaking and language use in general. The joint Language Boost project between Finnish universities, which ended in 2024, mapped out and developed different approaches and materials for studying Finnish and Swedish,” Teerenhovi says.
There are 10 student or 20 employee participants on the course at a time. Completing at least 4 ECTS credits in Finnish is a degree requirement for all international students at Uniarts Helsinki.
Writing lyrics and singing together
The intensive Learn Finnish by Singing course typically takes a couple of weekends, but other kinds of courses have also been arranged. The course is intended to support other Finnish language studies at Uniarts Helsinki. The course includes singing a variety of songs in different genres, such as children’s songs, folk songs and pop music, which also provide a glimpse into Finnish society and culture. In addition, there are so-called language songs, which have been composed to address grammatical challenges and help students to remember the rules. During the courses, students also write new lyrics for Finnish songs and translate songs that they have brought with them into Finnish. This fosters creative use of the language and dialogue between languages and cultures.
“When singing, repetition helps with remembering new words, and focusing on articulation comes naturally. We practice how to articulate and pronounce Finnish correctly. In an arts context, many people become encouraged to play with language. What you say doesn’t have to be perfect,” Lehtinen-Schnabel says.
“Doing and experiencing together supports learning in many ways. We move together and express emotions at the same time. Language is also an action that involves the whole body. Through the arts, we can also find an embodied connection to language learning,” she continues.
The students’ Finnish skills vary a lot, and even their musical skills are at different levels. At Uniarts Helsinki, some of the students are studying to become professional musicians, but some have never played an instrument or had musical hobbies.
“I am not a good singer myself, and at first I was terrified that I would have to teach Sibelius Academy students by singing. My fears quickly disappeared. This approach gives me the opportunity to work with learners at different levels. Everyone gets something out of the course,” Teerenhovi says.
The course format evolves with the students
Teerenhovi and Lehtinen-Schnabel are both eager to develop their teaching methods according to the needs of the students.
“The course format is not set in stone, and instead, it is constantly evolving in collaboration. Students at Uniarts Helsinki are familiar with creative engagement and improvisation, and I believe that everyone is capable of doing that. In our courses, we create some great moments through experimentation,” says Lehtinen-Schnabel.
Lehtinen-Schnabel and Teerenhovi say that the courses have been enthusiastically received by the participants. Students have said that they rarely get to use Finnish because Finns know English well and switch languages rather too quickly when speaking to foreigners.
“The Learn Finnish by Singing course allows everyone to speak and use Finnish in a powerful way. Songs have many complete sentences in a row and correct language structures. When improvising and writing lyrics, everyone applies their own language skills. At the same time, their pronunciation improves and courage grows. Pop music lyrics are based on spoken language, so participants improve their understanding of spoken Finnish. Usually, Finnish courses focus more on standard Finnish, which is very different from spoken Finnish,” says Lehtinen-Schnabel.
For some people, unconventional language teaching works better than traditional courses.
“This new course format liberates studying and increases people’s courage to speak a new language. While singing, you can practice some of the challenging features of Finnish pronunciation, such as double vowels, double consonants and diphthongs. When singing together, mistakes don’t matter. Many people say that it is as if a lock has been opened with the help of the course. We usually have a lot of fun on the courses,” Teerenhovi says.
Singing in Finnish has encouraged Anastasiia Lapteva to speak more Finnish in her everyday life
Russian Anastasiia Lapteva is studying for a master’s degree in printmaking at Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts. She completed her bachelor’s degree in December. Lapteva has lived in Finland since she was 16 years old, but she has mainly managed with English so far. She does know some Finnish, but using the spoken language has been difficult.
“My language skills are good enough for everyday conversations and shopping interactions, but if I want to express myself better, I easily switch to English,” Lapteva says.
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When she participated in the Learn Finnish by Singing course in 2023, there were ten participants on the course.
“We sang and translated songs from our own mother tongues into Finnish. Everyone brought a song from their own culture and language area to the course, and we translated them into Finnish. The songs were emotionally charged and important to us, so the Finnish translations were easier for us to remember. The teachers were helpful and supportive.”
Lapteva found the course to be a really good support for language learning. She continued to study Finnish in the Stoa Cultural Centre choir using the same technique. When the students saw each other at the university after the course, they continued speaking Finnish to each other.
“The spoken language of pop music has helped me understand colloquial expressions. I wasn’t shy about singing in the course, because the goal in a choir is not to stand out, but to learn together.”
Lapteva thinks that after the course, it has been more natural for her to use Finnish in everyday life.
“I have spoken Finnish more boldly, and I’m no longer afraid of making mistakes as much as I used to be. Singing also made pronunciation easier. Nowadays, Finns do not immediately switch to English when I try to speak Finnish. I also use Finnish in my studies at university. I think music helps to create a relationship with a new language.”