6 of my favorite songs for Novice French students (plus free student activities)

Music is a high interest way to incorporate culture and increase proficiency!

I’m something of a fanatic for French music! Listening to pop artists is a connection to the culture and helps keep my language skills current. I incorporate a lot of music in my instruction, ideas I’ve shared in my blog posts Using Talent Search Shows to Improve Language Proficiency and Music to My Ears Part 1 and Part 2

Today I want to share some specific resources with you! Here are 6 of my favorite French songs for use with novice learners. In some cases I’ve included free teaching resources as well. I’ve tested each of these in my own classroom - all are student approved and school appropriate!

6 songs to use with Novice French learners

Chanson numéro 1: Mon Beau Frère par Black M

This song is nice for French 1-2. It includes vocabulary for family, personal descriptions, and greetings. The French is fast, but fairly clear and accessible and the video is really fun.

Click here to copy a free “Mon Beau Frère” reading comprehension activity for novice learners. Students will love reading screenshots of real YouTube viewer comments for this video. After they’ve worked through each comment, they can write their own!

Chanson numéro 2: La Dernière Danse par Indila

I love Indila’s mournful, crystal-clear voice! The video includes dramatic views of Paris streets and landmarks, and there are several comprehensible -er verbs for students to practice. The repeated line “Oh ma douce souffrance” is a reference to the well-known French folk song “Douce France”, an opportunity to share a comprehensible play on words and a cultural connection with your students. Click here to copy a Google Slideshow highlighting these features along with Indila’s international background. My amazing student teacher, Gwen Powers, developed these slides for online instruction during the pandemic. (Yes, she had to do her student teaching online! Brava, Gwen!)

Chanson numéro 3: Le Même Sang par Yannick Noah

Your kids will enjoy learning about Yannick Noah, the tennis-star-turned pop artist whose son (Joachim Noah) played in the NBA. Yannick’s singing style is the same as his approach to tennis; carefree and cheerful. He seems to be having a lot of fun! This song is slow and comprehensible, and includes a fair amount of repetition. This makes it a perfect candidate for a lyrics sort activity where students organize sentence strips of the lyrics in sequence as they listen to the song. Click here to access your own copy! Le Même Sang is also great for building -er verb vocabulary and shows lovely French village street scenes. The message is good too.

Chanson numéro 4: Le Plus Fort du Monde par Black M

This is another good song for beginners with a lot of repetition, clear articulation and concrete vocabulary. Novice learners really feel a sense of accomplishment when they can understand big segments of this song; click here to copy a viewers guide to support your students as they listen. (** Disclaimer: I can’t remember whether I developed this worksheet myself or borrowed it from someone else… if I borrowed it from YOU please accept my apology and let me know so I can attribute it!)

Chanson numéro 5: L’ours par Christophe Maé et Youssu Ndour

This visually stunning video and memorable acoustic melody is sure to capture students’ attention, and they will be intrigued by the fusion of the musical traditions of France and Senegal. L’ours opens opportunities to discuss la francophonie et le bilingualisme, and its environmentalist message ties neatly with AP themes, UN SDG’s, and other global frameworks. The speech is fairly slow and accessible to novice listeners. And, click here to copy a reading activity based on viewer comments for beginning students!

Chanson numéro 6: Le Générique de Phinéas et Ferb

While not originally from the target culture, teens from France and Québec grew up watching Phinéas et Ferb - just like many of their counterparts in our classes. I guarantee, a lot of your students have this theme song memorized in English, which creates a connection for comprehension in French. The vocabulary is high-interest (where else will you introduce the words for “fighting a mummy” or “Frankenstein’s brain”? Click these links to copy an introductory vocabulary activity and a lyrics sort activity your students are guaranteed to love!

Those are just a few of my favorites for French 1-2. For students with a little more language under their belts, read my upcoming blog post on 7 of my favorite songs for Intermediate students. And, as an added bonus, I’ll include links to three libraries of student activities to incorporate more music in your French classroom.

Pop music is constantly evolving, and it takes conscious effort to keep up; these resources can help. What’s YOUR favorite song for novice French learners? Do you have a resource to share? Let us know in the comments!