Bryan Smith

Salut les profs! I have been directing the Manie Musicale LyricsTraining Tournament since 2023, and I am so glad we could bring the Tournament to Canada – it has been much requested! I started getting involved with Manie Musicale about four years ago, and I truly think it has been the magic potion to reinvigorate students’ love for French and Francophone cultures. I started out hosting small LyricsTraining tournaments with just my own students during Manie Musicale, and it had been my dream to create a tournament with students from other schools. It’s safe to say my dream has come true!
I teach grades 9-12 in San Francisco, California, and I have been teaching French full-time since 2016. I have found music to be a very powerful tool for both engagement and language learning, not to mention learning about the different French-speaking cultures around the world.

Originally hailing from the Midwest, I graduated from Ball State University (chirp chirp), studied abroad at the Université de Lille III Charles-de-Gaulle (which is now part of the broader Université de Lille), taught English in Japan for two years, and have been teaching French in California ever since. In 2024, I graduated with my Master of Education in World Language Instruction from Concordia College- Moorhead, and will hopefully earn National Board teaching certification soon (fingers crossed!)