Finland's education system is ranked among the best in the world year after year. No standardised testing, cooperation over competition, highly educated teachers, less homework, karaoke and many other important factors lead to excellent results. Wait, what? Karaoke?
Finns are crazy about karaoke. It's a national hobby practiced at homes, bars, events, libraries, care homes and yes, also in schools. Being the second homeland of karaoke, Finland is a natural birthplace of Singa - a modern music streaming service for singing. Singa is used in schools across the country to encourage students to sing and also to help music teachers step away from the piano from time to time and interact with their class. In some schools karaoke has become the highlight of the music lesson.
"You don't have to be glued behind the piano all the time. You can focus more on guiding and inspiring the students. - Sofia Tarkkanen, music teacher, Espoonlahti School
Sing-along sessions a big hit at Espoonlahti School
Seventh grade students at Espoonlahti School have enjoyed karaoke sessions in the end of their class for a while now. Sessions have been operated in sing-along fashion, so everybody gets to join. Those who want to get their voices heard more loudly have been able to sing into microphones.
Music teacher Sofia Tarkkanen praises how karaoke gives the teacher more time to focus on students: "You don't have to be glued behind the piano all the time. You can focus more on guiding and inspiring the students. High-quality karaoke backgrounds and in-built guide vocals have encouraged also the more inexperienced or shy students to get excited about singing."
Singa has a huge song library giving all students possibility to sing their favourite songs from newest hits to old classics. It comes to no surprise that students tend to prefer the new tracks. "New trendy hits are really popular among our students. Singing songs that they actually know and like creates a whole new sense of togetherness", Tarkkanen says.
"When students are able to influence the content they study and suggest their favorite songs themselves, it increases motivation." - Hannu Ahokas, teacher, Lintuvaara School
Karaoke is a great tool to motivate students
Teacher Hannu Ahokas has used Singa as a tool to motivate 4th and 5th grade students at Lintuvaara School. In addition to music lessons, karaoke has also been included in the program during breaks. "Once all the boring tasks are done, it's time to sing together," Ahokas says. Thanks to Singa's ease of use, Ahokas also sees it as a great tool for substitute teachers: "Substitute teacher often doesn't have too much time to prepare for music lessons. Karaoke is a great option and doesn't require skills in playing an instrument."
In general, Ahokas sees Singa as a helpful tool in music education in schools:"Singa has a lot of fresh songs and it inspires students. When students are able to influence the content they study and suggest their favourite songs, it increases motivation. It's important to involve students in their own learning process."
Singa is good for practicing digital skills and learning languages
Learning digital skills is often an important part in the school curriculum and digital learning platforms and online learning is a growing trend. Singa For Schools sits naturally in this palette as it's a modern app that runs on iPad or web browser and seamlessly connects to Singa's home karaoke offering.
Students can continue practising singing and digital skills at home with the Singa home karaoke app on their computer, mobile and smart TV. Karaoke can also be a great tool for learning languages, as it is easy to follow the lyrics on the screen line by line.
If you're interested in learning more about Singa for Schools contact us directly at sales@singabusiness.com and we'll get your students singing in no time.
Blog cover photo: Hannu Ahokas