What do college basketball teams and contemporary French musicians have in common right now? Both groups have thousands of people worldwide filling out brackets, hoping their final selection is the winner!
The “Manie Musicale” competition was started by two French teachers in Maine in 2017, in an effort to foster greater interest in French-speaking musicians among students globally. St. Mary's Upper School French Teacher Dr. Brandy Brown and Middle School French Teacher Leanne Hinkle have both led this activity for their classes over the past few years.
Similar to March Madness, at the outset of the competition, students and teachers receive a bracket with contemporary French songs. They spend time listening to each song, determining a winner for each round, until they whittle down the field to their favorite song, which they hope is also the final, global winner.
This bracket-based competition has evolved over the years into a prestigious event, renowned for discovering and promoting emerging artists across various genres.
“This year, there are over 6,000 schools participating from all 50 states and 35 countries, representing almost 700,000 students, and it continues to expand,” said Dr. Brown.
The competition showcases diversity and encourages contestants to explore their unique artistic identities. Whether it's experimental electronica, soulful ballads, or high-energy rap, the competition welcomes musicians from all backgrounds and styles, providing a playing field for talent–both old and new–to shine.
“A team of 30 volunteer French teachers compile the song list each year, ensuring the songs are appropriate for students of all ages and that there is representation from French-speaking countries all over the world,” said Dr. Brown. “This year's artists come from France, Canada, Madagascar, Vietnam, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Morocco, Guinea, Rwanda, the DRC, Comoros and Lebanon.”
Every week, participants vote to determine the winners of each round. The Manie Musicale competition showcases “reveal videos” each week to reveal the winners of the most votes. The reveal videos also feature TikToks and memes from students around the world, each promoting the competition and touting their preferred artists.
“One of the best parts is getting to see the students’ reactions to the reveal videos, and whether or not their selection gets to move on to the next round,” said Dr. Brown.
All of the songs included in the bracket are new, debuting since the prior year’s contest. This encourages the students to listen to contemporary artists, including lesser-known performers. In fact, participating in the Manie Musicale competition offers artists more than just a shot at fame and fortune; it provides exposure and networking opportunities within the music industry.
“Last year’s winner went from having a few hundred followers on YouTube to suddenly going on tour following the competition,” said Dr. Brown.
Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Brown’s students see how this contest enhances their understanding of the language.
“We all listen to the songs outside of class. When I hear a song I like, it makes me want to look up the words so I understand what the lyrics mean,” said McNaron Gray ’26.
Dr. Brown concurs. “I've found that many students follow these artists on social media and seek out their catalogs on Spotify and other streaming services. They tell me about songs from contests in years past that are still on their playlists,” she said.
Of course, there is still the million-dollar question–how is everyone’s bracket doing?
“I’m not sure any of our brackets are doing very well right now,” laughs Dr. Brown. “But we are having a lot of fun!”
Bonne chance, Turkeys!
- Upper School