French students from Diane Traver’s 8th-grade class meet French Artist Eloïse Lapaille on Zoom as part of their music literacy lesson.

French students in Diane Traver’s 8th-grade French class at Goff Middle School participated in Manie Musical, an international March Madness-style contest inspired by the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament. During class, students listened to French-speaking artists from around the world learning about their culture, country and music.

Last week, Mrs. Traver’s students joined a Zoom call with French students from across the United States and Canada to meet and asked questions to French Artist Eloïse Lapaille from Northern France.

As part of their new curriculum, students participate in cultural comparisons, using the target language to compare the products and practices of the cultures studied to their own. “Students have been engaged in learning French through music literacy,” said Mrs. Traver.