Johanna Lehtinen-Schnabel : Beyond disciplinary boundaries: Language-aware choirs driving transformative change in music education

This article-based dissertation explores inclusive, multilingual choirs where music and second-language learning are non-hierarchically and reciprocally merged, to respond to the needs of participants who have migrated to Finland as adults for various reasons. Through multi-/mixed-methods approaches and using a variety of research materials, the research asks: How can second-language learning be supported within a multilingual choir practice? and What new insights can a language-aware choir generate for music educational thinking and actions? The research draws from activity theory, activity systems thinking, and the theorisation of systems praxis.

The findings show that a language-aware approach in a choir reconfigures both choir practice and engagement with language learning, with varied potentials to support language development, while also requiring the choir conductor to expand professional boundaries. The study argues that transdisciplinary transitions and systems awareness are needed for professional practices in music and music education to be able to respond to new societal needs and advance socially sustainable collective futures.