French Honor Society students and Alain Gbenouga, a graduate student in French, have collaborated with Dr. Antoinette Barffour to create the first ever French Cultural Ensemble.

The ensemble is open to all interested students, regardless of their ability to speak French. Participants can expect to enjoy Francophone music and culture while building community through song, Barffour said.

“The French Cultural Ensemble is designed to bring students together through the joy of singing French and Francophone music,” she continued. “This is the first ongoing French music ensemble open to the broader university community. It offers a creative space where students from all backgrounds—whether or not they speak French—can participate.”

Barffour is an associate professor of French in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR).

The ensemble meets on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Plaster Student Union 317A. Contact Barffour to confirm dates.

Student-driven engagement

Led by Gbenouga, all the students involved in the ensemble help organize, promote and facilitate rehearsals and activities, Barffour said. She serves as the group’s faculty advisor and is on hand to help as needed, offering support and providing language and pronunciation guidance.

Not only does Gbenouga organize sessions and activities, he also serves as the primary resource person in Barffour’s absence. For him, the ensemble offers ways for him to enhance his teaching, speaking, leadership and project management skills.

“This project provides me with the opportunity to apply new classroom management strategies and teaching methods that I am currently learning in my courses,” he explained. “It also allows me to develop and practice research-related skills.”

Gbenouga is working toward a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (MASLA). He emphasizes the French language in his studies and plans to pursue a doctorate in the future.

Because participants do not need to speak French in order to sing in French, Gbenouga believes the ensemble’s student-centered approach will help all participants learn successfully.

“Through singing, they can improve vocabulary retention, pronunciation and overall language acquisition by engaging multiple areas of the brain simultaneously,” he said.

Singing to learn…and having fun

The ensemble won’t simply deepen Gbenouga’s knowledge of the Francophone world and Francophone music traditions. “What excites me most is the opportunity to do what I enjoy most: engaging with students and making learning fun,” he said.

Gbenouga hopes participants will be just as excited as he is to “develop a taste for learning a second language” and appreciate French language, music and culture.

“I also hope they gain confidence in trying new things, building meaningful connections—perhaps even lifelong friendships—through this shared experience.”

Learn French @ Mo State