#Japan #Tokyo #Kahoot! #Universal Music #UM English Lab

Kahoot! and UM English Lab Partnership

The global digital learning platform Kahoot!, based in Oslo, Norway and led by CEO Eilert Giertsen Hanoa, has announced an official partnership with UM English Lab, the educational support project from Universal Music Group’s Japan branch. This collaboration aims to enhance English language education in Japan by integrating the love of music with learning.

Having localized its web and mobile platforms for Japan in 2021, Kahoot! has steadily increased its presence within the market, which includes opening a new office in Minato, Tokyo, in October 2024. Over the past year alone, Kahoot! has seen its cumulative participants in Japan surpass 100 million, with over 200,000 teachers utilizing the platform in their classrooms. This impressive growth highlights Kahoot!’s rapid acceptance as a tool for learning in Japanese educational environments.

With Kahoot! now firmly established as a daily learning tool across many classrooms, the partnership with UM English Lab marks a proactive step to further engage students' interest in learning English. Launching in March 2025, UM English Lab will leverage the rich catalogue of popular Western music from Universal Music to create and provide original supplementary materials for English education. This initiative will be offered free of charge to teachers nationwide.

Through this collaboration, engaging music content will be delivered via Kahoot!, transforming traditional learning materials into interactive, game-like experiences. Students can challenge themselves with questions about song lyrics while listening to global hits on their smartphones or tablets. This approach is designed to inspire active learning, enhancing English skills and cross-cultural understanding in a fun and enjoyable manner.

As part of the GIGA School Initiative 2.0, promoting the use of ICT in education and reducing teachers' preparation burdens are pressing concerns. Kahoot! is poised to become a powerful ally for teachers, as it will integrate high-quality Western music content from UM English Lab into its platform. This will negate the need for teachers to spend extensive time preparing educational materials from scratch. Instead, they can simply select relevant content based on their lesson objectives and implement it effortlessly.

The result is a significant reduction in the preparation burden for teachers while improving the overall quality of learning experiences offered to students. Brent Morley, Kahoot!’s Gross Director in charge of Japan and South Korea, stated, “Kahoot!’s mission is ‘To make learning awesome!’ We are truly excited to collaborate with Universal Music, a global leader, to introduce incredible Western music content into Japan’s classrooms. Music captures kids’ hearts and serves as an excellent hook to motivate their learning. I’m confident that the high-quality content from UM English Lab will make Japanese classrooms even more vibrant and interactive.”

Shingo Terashima, Manager of the Western Music Marketing Strategy Department at Universal Music, commented, “UM English Lab. was initiated to help students engage with contemporary English and cultures through Western music making them perceive ‘English is fun!’ by building lessons that motivate learning. Partnering with Kahoot!, which is well-loved in Japanese educational circles, will help us deliver our music content more effectively as an interactive, game-like learning experience for students.”

Content Offerings from UM English Lab x Kahoot!

The collaboration will result in an array of interactive Kahoot! content featuring globally recognized artists and music videos, enabling students to learn grammar, listening, and pronunciation intuitively. Teachers will have free access to UM English Lab’s Kahoot! content through its dedicated profile page.

Examples of Kahoot! Content

1. Jackson 5: Students watch the music video, then engage with comprehensive content on singular and plural grammatical rules and trivia about the artist.
2. Stevie Wonder: Learners listen to short clips of songs while answering listening and comprehension questions related to lyrics and vocabulary meanings.
3. The Carpenters: By listening to the song “Sing,” students learn about “linking” through enjoyable activities that involve pronunciation and singing.

About UM English Lab

UM English Lab is a platform that provides supplementary materials for English education using the works of Western music artists. The program aims to promote vocabulary acquisition, understanding of expressions, cultural insights, and exploratory learning. All materials are available at no charge and are designed for easy integration in classes.

Visit UM English Lab for more information.

About Kahoot!

Kahoot! is renowned as a premier global learning engagement platform, dedicated to its mission of ‘making learning awesome.’ The platform supports the potential of all individuals, including children, students, and professionals, to thrive. Since its founding in 2013, Kahoot! has grown into a global leader, conducting millions of sessions participated by over 1.3 billion individuals in more than 200 countries and regions. Its dedication ensures accessible and engaging learning experiences for everyone.

Brent Morley brings decades of experience in digital media, technology, and commercial strategy to Kahoot! He has worked on cutting-edge projects with global brands and is committed to enhancing Kahoot!’s presence in Japan and the Asia Pacific region through strategic partnerships, ultimately advancing lifelong learning across the entire region.