Spanish teachers from around the world choose a list of current and popular songs in the industry. The songs are then narrowed down by other Spanish teachers to create the list of the top 16 songs. The songs are then given to the students to listen to and vote on. Each song’s lyrics must be school-appropriate.
Locura De Marzo is a Spanish music competition. The ages of the singers range from 12 – 60 years old. All singers are experienced and well known in the Spanish speaking industry, most are known all around the world as well.
“Sometimes the musical artists and groups find out they are involved in the competition and reach out via social media platforms to say thank you and give a shout out to the competition and our students,” says BHS Spanish teacher Laine Martinez.
Students find this time of the year to be fun. And they usually always find a favorite song out of all. Some kids will also listen to the music after class and out of school. Martinez plays the favorites from previous years in the beginning of class from a playlist she created and keeps adding to as the years go on.
“I find it very intriguing how so many people around the world could all be a part of something like Locura De Marzo,” said BHS student Travis Harper, “my favorite song would have to be the Mejor Que Ayer.”
This is a big part of everyday lives. Many can’t wait to see what the new songs are going to be or who is going to participate in it. Think of it as many students coming together to pick the best song for Locura De Marzo while coming together and learning more about Spanish culture.
This competition was started by Señor Ashby, a Spanish and P.E. teacher from Michigan. and now it has grown to over 100,000 students around the world who are all listening to the same songs each day and creating a community around these songs.
“Music is a huge part of many of our lives. To be able to incorporate music into the Spanish classroom. It is important to me because it can help motivate a classroom, calm a classroom, and be a fun part of the class,” Martinez said. “I teach it because we are able to practice listening skills, work on pronunciation, and learn about other cultures. The goal is also to learn to give opinions about the songs. My goal is always to get students to add at least one song from Locura de Marzo to their playlists.”
