Thrainn Arni and the fieldwork group
The aim of the project was to offer an innovative teaching method for teaching Icelandic to adult immigrants, which made partial use of music as a teaching tool. Icelandic was taught through the Icelandic song heritage. The course instructors were Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson, a music and primary school teacher and founder of the Tónholt music school, and Dóra Ármannsdóttir, an Icelandic teacher. The pilot teaching took place in the spring term of 2023. Two groups went through the course, with 5 students in each. One group was taught in-person, while the other was taught in distance learning. Lessons were taught for two hours at a time. The teaching was set up so that first, Thráinn Árni would come and teach the students in advance specific songs on the ukulele. The students, of course, had varying levels of skill on the instrument, and most had never played music before. But on this course, that doesn't matter; all students attend on their own terms and received tuition that was tailored to each individual. For the second hour, Dóra was with the students, going over the lyrics of the songs, their meaning, and their connection to Icelandic culture. The students were loaned ukuleles for the duration of the course, so they could take them home between sessions to practise. We believe the project as a whole was a great success. We now have a 20-hour course ready, which can be taught almost anywhere, at any time.