Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Remember Lionel, who warned us about the dangers of the working world, and asked the important questions about French grammatical gender? He’s back with a very important lesson for us about how best to get water out of your ears.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Adrien talks to us about Paris's Rue des Martyrs [Martyrs Street]. There, a hapless bishop, Saint Denis, was decapitated. He supposedly carried his severed head in his hand all the way up the street. But rest assured, the street has none of this gruesome past. It's filled with restaurants, bars, cafes, and cabarets to keep you entertained and happy.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Aldo takes us to a very special house on 23 Rue Beauregard in Paris. In that house lived a shady character, Catherine Deshayes, who was responsible for the murder of thousands of infants. She and 36 others were burned at the stake by Louis XIV.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Saxophonist Alex Terrier talks about how he came to be a jazz musician and shares some photos. Come take a glimpse inside the life of this gifted artist.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Alex Terrier’s second project as a bandleader, Roundtrip, is a critically-acclaimed album in the vein of John Coltrane. Listen to it in full (and for free!) here.
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Alex gives a detailed description of the saxophone and all its different parts. Did you know that, despite its association with jazz music, the saxophone was actually invented in the 1840s for use in military bands?
Difficulty: Beginner
France
Alex explains the differences between the soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. This is one of those situations where size definitely matters.
Difficulty: Beginner
Senegal
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia are joined together by their love for music and each other. The pair met at the Institute for Young Blind People in Bamako, the capital of Mali.
Difficulty: Beginner
Senegal
Amadou and Mariam share singing duties with co-producer Manu Chao on a song with themes of migration and dislocation.
Difficulty: Beginner
Senegal
Amadou and Mariam reference a number of West African musical instruments, like djembes, dununs, balans, and tamas, in “Beaux dimanches”—a song about Sundays in Bamako.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Getting around Paris has never been easier thanks to Vélib, a citywide bike rental service. Amal will tell you everything you need to know about renting a bicycle for a day, a week, or even a year. You won't be stranded after the subway closes at midnight!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Canada
From dreams to reality, putting forth “a little bit of energy each day,” Annie Chartrand, a vocalist who debuted singing behind her bathroom door, burst onto the music scene in 2006. Here is an interview with the singer of Ma blonde est une chanteuse [My Girlfriend Is a Singer]—a group that's actually part of a love story…
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
If you’re ever in Arles, make sure to stop off at this scrumptious fresh food market, full of local cheeses, vegetables, and fish straight off the boat!
Difficulty: Beginner
France
You might have noticed that the French word for breakfast literally means “little lunch.” Instead of the pancakes and waffles of the US and the full breakfast of the British Isles, the French prefer a lighter fare for their morning meal. But that doesn’t mean they won’t chow down later in the day….
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