¡Hola, estudiantes! Have you been hearing music from the language wing lately? Well, that’s because it is time for Locura de Marzo! Locura de Marzo, which translates to March Madness, is a worldwide Spanish song competition. Every year, Hispanic songs are selected and put into a bracket for Spanish teachers and students to vote on their favorite to win.
This competition has been going on since 2014 and was created by Señor Ashby. Señor Ashby is a Spanish teacher in Zeeland, Michigan, who wanted to create opportunities to connect with his students while immersing them in the Spanish language. He began writing his own songs to help students learn Spanish in addition to creating projects like Locura de Marzo! Each year, over 200,000 students in Spanish classes around the world participate in Locura de Marzo. (www.senorashby.com).
At Ramapo, Spanish students are enjoying this competition and using it as an opportunity to learn more and connect to the language and culture. “Locura de Marzo was started at Ramapo about 10 years ago by Sra. Ciprian. Teachers from around the country enjoy collaborating and watching their students improve their proficiency as they passionately defend their favorite songs,” states Spanish teacher Señora Kelly. “Personally, I love watching students learn about different cultures and artists from the Spanish-speaking world and…to dance a little, too!” In a form sent to Spanish students, 98.3% of the students are enjoying Locura de Marzo. A sophomore here at Ramapo, Colton Seugling, comments, “I am enjoying Locura de Marzo so far because it is allowing me to practice Spanish more and it’s fun listening to the music.” Students also feel that the competition is a great way to learn Spanish and feel more confident in their Spanish-speaking skills. In addition, 85% of the students feel that they are using Spanish to talk about the songs more. “I think this competition is a very fun way to practice reading and understanding the Spanish language,” states one Ramapo student, “I feel like I have learned a lot about how to express my opinions on certain songs.”
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Locura de Marzo remains a fun tradition for Spanish-speaking students at our school and will continue to draw connections between Spanish culture and music. “I thought it was kind of unique and a fun addition to the class because you get to listen to songs from Spanish culture. I think that it’s a cool competition that schools around the world do, and it’s very cool that we get to participate in it as a class,” states John Barbara, a sophomore here at Ramapo. The music in the contest this year is impeccable, and it will be a very fun journey to see who will win the 2026 Locura de Marzo competition.
