French songs for secondary students and teachers

It's la rentrée ! Starting back to school is exciting, because it's a fresh start, but it's also really challenging, because it means starting all over again. Having new French students in your class means teaching classroom expectations, learning names, creating a positive classroom environment, team-building, and getting the students excited about being in your class all while introducing as much French as you can in a way that is not intimidating. No wonder teachers go home and crash for the first month of school!

While there are so many things to accomplish in those first few weeks, I've always felt that reaching your students and getting them excited about your class is so important. We want them to learn as much of the language and culture as we can, and because music resonates so well with so many of us, it is my favorite way to get kids excited about my class.

I play music for all sorts of activities, like using videos for vocabulary inference, reviewing terms they've learned, creating close activities with vocabulary and verbs, or just listening for fun when we have some free time. Music has always been a huge part of my teaching.

My last list of French songs is one of my most-read posts, so I thought it would be nice to share a few more!

Here are a few of my favorite songs I like to play during the first few weeks of school. I try to mix up the artists I play so that students are getting new and old songs from all over the world. Although I watch all videos before showing them in class, I've never taught kids younger than 11, so you might decide that the video is not the right choice for your class. 

1. Magic in the air - Magic system

This song is amazing for FSL classes, because it has just enough English to not intimidate students, it is catchy enough that even beginners will pick up some words, and kids really love the rhythm. The message is so positive that it's a great song to play with students who have more fluency, too. 

2. Si t'as été à Tahiti - Albert DePaname

The video is hilarious! It's a fun way to bring the passé composé into class for a quick review, and you can even talk about their summer adventures. I love to print the lyrics and create a close activity with the verbs in the passé composé.

3. La valise - Dorothée

This song is just as silly as the previous one, but it's great for reviewing clothing vocabulary and makes a fun introduction to discussing summer travels. It's catchy, so even if they don't want to admit it, it will stick in their heads.

4. L'oiseau et l'enfant - Kids United

We LOVE Kids United! Their sweet voices remake some popular French songs that I listened to when I was little. This is a modern remake of the original song that came out the year I was born. To find out my age, you'll have to research and do the math on your own! ;)

5. Ose - Yannick Noah

This is another of my favorite songs. I love it at back to school time, because it's about goal-setting and not letting fear keep you from your dreams.

6. Francis- Cœur de pirate

While this song doesn't have anything in particular that corresponds to back to school, it just happens to be one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite artists, Canadian singer, Béatrice Martin.

7. Jeune - Louane

Louane is an artist who appeals a lot to middle and high schoolers. She has a lot of songs out there, but I think this one is catchy. 

                          

8. Je veux - Zaz

I'm sure I've mentioned this song before, but I just LOVE it!

                            

Got any favorites I haven't mentioned? I'd love it if you'd share them below!