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Testimonials

What educators, students and families who have experienced Manie Musicale have to say...

À tous les fadas de Manie Musicale, je tiens à vous exprimer toute ma gratitude pour la création et le développement de cette compétition bonne enfant. Aux fondatrices, je tiens à réitérer que votre initiative innovante qui combine l’apprentissage du français avec le chant et la musique est tout simplement remarquable et ô combien importante et engageante pour nos apprenants.

Je tiens particulièrement à souligner que votre activité rapproche beaucoup d’entre nous qui souvent sommes seules dans notre établissement. C’est un réel bonheur de pouvoir se connecter à une communauté partageant les mêmes intérêts et passions et partageant l’amour de la langue de Molière.

Merci pour votre dévouement et votre passion à rendre l’apprentissage du français accessible et agréable pour tous.

Fanny Clonch
French teacher
Curie Metropolitan High School
Chicago, Illinois

The amazing diversity of the artists in this year’s bracket has not gone unnoticed. One of my students, who is of Cameroonian descent, commented out loud today, ‘What is this?! Almost all of these artists are Black and look like me!’ He is one of maybe two or three Black kids in my small high school, and he is both thrilled and surprised to have so much diversity represented in the playlist. It makes a difference.

Madame Fitzgerald
French teacher
South Shore, Massachusetts

My students look forward to Manie every year. This year they are excited for artists like Maître Gims and Stephane Legar to reappear. It is a breath of fresh air — un bol d’air frais! We love it!

Madame Dupuis
French teacher
Lenox Memorial Middle and High School
Lenox, Massachusetts

I LOVED IT!! It was so fun to listen to new music, and I even listen to a lot of these songs in my free time. I think Manie Musicale was very well done, and I can’t wait for next year! French is a beautiful language, and Manie Musicale has made me fall in love with it even more! Thank you, Madame Easton, for giving us the opportunity to participate in it!

Anonymous student
Student
Cyprus High School
Magna, Utah

Manie Musicale is always one of the best parts of the school year in French class. It always widens my horizon of French music and exposes me to new artists and types of music I have never heard before. The program is amazing and is super engaging for everyone!

Anonymous student
Student
Cyprus High School
Magna, Utah

I really like this. At first, I thought this was dumb, but it is actually very cool. After listening to a lot of songs, I almost enjoy French music more than music I listen to now.

Anonymous student
Student
Cyprus High School
Magna, Utah

I liked how diverse the artists were!

Anonymous student
Student
Cyprus High School
Magna, Utah

I really had my doubts about Manie Musicale. I thought it would be boring, but I really enjoyed it and have a whole new list of songs to add to my playlist. Honestly, I don’t see anything that needs fixing, and I’m excited to see the new songs that will compete next year!

Anonymous student
Student
Cyprus High School
Magna, Utah

This is the best collaborative project I’ve seen in all of my years as an educator.

Jessica Blue
Educator
Mounds Park Academy
Maplewood, Minnesota

Feeling blessed this morning to be a part of this incredible journey… What an impressive undertaking by such passionate and inspiring human beings! Being a newbie this year, I have been following all conversation here and on your Facebook page. It only takes a few minutes each day to keep up. I highly recommend this practice to people wishing to sign up for the first time. The main website has also been a saving grace for me with all the introductory videos and highly organized Google Drive.

The videos helped me understand that the Drive doesn’t have to be overwhelming when you decide first whether you wish to participate in a ‘mild, medium, or spicy’ way. The other thing I found useful was to grab items posted on Facebook which were timely, easy to locate using the search option, or updated versions of what is placed in the Drive. Often what is being discussed on Facebook is getting rave reviews, so I couldn’t go wrong. Since this lovely and supportive community catches typos and errors, human mistakes are caught early in the kindest of manners.

Thank you to the team for going above and beyond your paid day jobs to provide this amazing competition for students and teachers alike! Already, I cannot wait until next year! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

French teacher

I only got the score that I did because ever since last year, when I heard one of Vitaa et Slimane’s other songs with Manie Musicale (‘Ça va ça vient’), I have been listening to other songs that they wrote. I heard this song (‘Ça ira’) pretty close to when it first came out, and I really liked it.

I am glad that you assigned it because it is one of my favorites, and it helps me move through the day.

Aidan G.
Student
Falmouth Middle School
Falmouth, Maine

Appreciation post

I just finished three long evenings and one full day of parent-teacher interviews. I spoke to 67 parents. Every single parent spoke about Manie Musicale and how positive it was, and how it was by far the best learning and engaging thing their child has ever done — in any subject!

I mean every parent. Thank you, Stephanie Forgione Carbonneau and Michelle Fournier.

Jody G. Rant
Teacher

Salut Manie Nation! I want to say MERCI MERCI MERCI to Amie Reid and any others who may have been involved with the live Zoom meeting today with Yaniss Odua et FNX. My grade 7 and 8 students were so tuned in and pumped about being able to ask FNX personally a couple of questions.

This is our school’s first year participating in Manie, and it has been simply remarkable. I’ve seen teenage boys talking in the halls and lunchroom about who they think will advance and who they are cheering for. I asked my students the other day how many of them were listening to French music outside of our school walls — we are a français cadre school — and about half of them responded that they have added the artists to their own playlists!

I am so pleased and grateful that this event has opened my students’ minds and hearts to learning this beautiful language we call French. Manie Musicale has given them purpose and meaning. We are so excited for the reveal of who the final winner will be!

Christine Formiglio
French teacher

I just wanted to share this little heartwarming moment with you all.

I, like all of you, just finished an amazing month of Manie Musicale. It was so refreshing to see all of my students engaged — even those who are never engaged. Thank you to the MM team and all of you who contributed to the resources that made this month a success!

Here is my heartwarming moment. I volunteer as a Girl Guide leader here in Canada. I work with girls aged 9–14 who are all from different areas and schools in our community. The other night at our meeting, one of the girls walked in singing ‘Toucher la Lune,’ and 11 of the 12 girls present knew the song. They then proceeded to talk about Manie Musicale, their brackets, how they felt about the outcome, and sing some of the other songs. One girl is working on a choreographed dance for the new contest. I used the opportunity to talk about Maheva being the first female to win Manie Musicale.

This amazing little thing you do every year really does reach all levels of French language learners. Most of these girls are in Core French, some in French Immersion, and one goes to a full French-language school, and yet they all were connecting through Manie Musicale. It warmed my heart to see.

Jennifer Louise
French teacher and Girl Guide leader
Canada