The mistakes made in Manie Musical 2026 and how we can fix them in upcoming years

Manie Musciale is a beloved annual event in French classes, not only here at VHS, but all around the world. French students over the course of March listen and vote for their favorite tracks in each match-up to eventually crown a winner. Students are also tasked with making a March Madness style bracket to predict the winner of each round. Manie Musicale is not just a fun break from the normal class routine, but a valuable learning opportunity. “I think that songs [are] one of the best ways to learn another language. When you see different artists it comes from many, many different French speaking countries. [This] is a very good way to learn the French language, but also the diversity of the French culture in the French speaking world” said Olivier Cougard.

Manie Musicale is loved by the French students in the VHS journalism room but all three of us agree that this year’s song selection is sub-par for a few reasons. First, many of the songs are lyrically shallow. We have no problem with positive and motivating lyrics. The greatest lyricism we have ever heard has come from songs that are very vulnerable and emotional, making the track relatable to the listener. There is not a single 2026 Manie Musicale song that embodies this trait. Most of the lyricism in this year’s Maine Musicale is corny, repetitive and cliché. Fredz’s “Extraordinaire” is a perfect example of Manie’s atrophied lyrical creativity. 

“In my opinion some of the songs are just as bad as last year but last year there were more good songs than bad songs and it was the good songs that carried. But this year there are only like three good songs so it seems worse overall.” said Reese Garcia ‘28.

 The issue isn’t a shortage of high quality French songs but rather an issue with the songs that are being chosen for the competition to begin with. Right now, they are chosen by a small team of people to ensure they are school-appropriate and culturally diverse, which is great, but maybe getting the input of a larger group of people to get the opinions of all would create a competition to be enjoyed a lot more by everyone instead of just a smaller group of people. In the end, the point of Manie Musicale is for students learning French to learn more French, about the cultures of French speaking countries and doing it while having a good time.