Interactive Learning: The Sounds of Bonne Chance

Abstract

Our Project, Bonne Chance, meaning good luck in French, is an immersive language learning game that manifests in the form of a mobile app. The game is designed as a course-companion for French 111 and 112 beginning language courses for college students. Instead of merely computerizing old teaching practices or creating grammar practice cards, we are radically re-envisioning the design of the learning experience. This project endeavors to build an “ecology of learning that extends beyond the four walls of an institution and engages [students] in ways that are exciting, empowering and culturally relevant” (Salen et al., 201100. The Project functions under four teams: the coding team, the user experience engagement team, the music curation and production team, and the app development team. As the music team, we focus on the music and sounds of Bonne Chance. The music and sounds of Bonne Chance contribute to this ecology by curating an authentically French soundtrack of pre-composed and original music, stimulating the learning environment, creating a sense of historical accuracy, and channeling the primary purpose of the game, which is to help immerse students in the French language. By conducting research into French composers and cultural trends throughout the ages, French musical history can be characterized as a diverse and central figure in the arts of humanity. French history has shaped human history, and its music sheds light on the roots of its global influence. The game itself is currently still in a series of prototype phases as we continue to test our most viable product [MVP]. Through our game-based learning application, our audience of elementary-level French students will gain language learning skills and intercultural empathy. Working in an innovative studio environment has allowed us to grow in the domains of collaboration, project management, programming, music history, research, music composition, music arranging, and music production. ­