World Music Day

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 21 June 2022 > Celebrate

France’s Fête de la Musique is 40 years old this year, and it has inspired other countries to celebrate music on the longest day of the year, 21 June. Make Music Day, as it’s dubbed in English, made it to New York 15 years ago and has spread across North America, helped by a non-profit, … Continue reading “World Music Day”

Everything You Wanted to Know about Northern Ireland

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 26 May 2022 > What's On

An evening at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris will provide lots of insights on Northern Ireland, a nation with a still fluctuating identity and status 101 years after its creation. Activist art, thought and song will all combine on 8 June. The Government of Ireland Act that came into force on 3 May 1921, … Continue reading “Everything You Wanted to Know about Northern Ireland”

Your Students Have Talent: Chicago Swing

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 12 May 2022 > Pedagogy Shine Bright Lycée

And in our series Your Students Have Talent, here are three excellent song lyrics written for Shine Bright Terminale Short File 20 Chicago Swing, considering how the city of Chicago uses music as a means of inclusion in a very multicultural urban space. Thank you to  Lounès, Flavie and Rosalie for their excellent lyrics. Lounès: … Continue reading “Your Students Have Talent: Chicago Swing”

Film Vocabulary

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 14 March 2022 > Ready to Use

This worksheet was used as in introductory activity to a project on film musicals for 4e euro. You can read about the project in our Pedagogy section.

Respect: Aretha Franklin Biopic

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 23 August 2021 > Ready to Use Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée

A new biopic of soul diva Aretha Franklin takes its title from one of her most famous songs, “Respect”. This resource will introduce pupils first to the song, which became an anthem for the women’s movement and the civil-rights movement. Then they can discover the biopic. Jennifer Hudson was chosen by Franklin herself before her … Continue reading “Respect: Aretha Franklin Biopic”

“Strange Fruit”: a Searing Protest Song

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 25 May 2021 > Celebrate Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée

Jazz singer Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording of “Strange Fruit” has become one of the most potent protest songs in U.S. history. Its images of lynched African Americans accompanied the civil-rights movement but still evoke uncomfortable truths today. The song was written by a Jewish Communist high-school teacher, Abel Meeropol. It was originally a poem, written … Continue reading ““Strange Fruit”: a Searing Protest Song”