What Is Señor Ashby's Locura de Marzo? The Complete Guide for Spanish Teachers

The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament has been captivating American sports fans since 1939 with its bracket format. At some point, a Spanish teacher asked: what if we did this with songs?

The result is Locura de Marzo, created by a Michigan Spanish and PE teacher known online as Señor Ashby — and it has become one of the most beloved recurring events in the Spanish language classroom calendar, and the direct inspiration for Manie Musicale (French) and Musik im März Madness (German).

Who Is Señor Ashby?

Señor Ashby is a Spanish teacher from Michigan who built a widely used website (senorashby.com) offering Spanish classroom resources, original music, blended learning lessons, and language competition tools. The Maine DOE formally documented that Manie Musicale was "inspired by Señor Ashby's 'Locura de Marzo'" — making him the originator of the March music bracket tradition that now spans multiple languages globally

How Locura de Marzo Works

Song selection: 16 songs are assembled collaboratively — teachers submit suggestions, community input is considered. Past brackets have included artists from Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

Registration: Teachers register through senorashby.com. The bracket, song list, printable materials, and teacher resources are available in a shared Google Drive.

Bracket prediction: Before listening to any songs, students complete an initial prediction — guessing which song will win based only on artist name and country of origin. This creates immediate investment.

Daily matchups: Each day through March, two songs face off. Teachers play both songs; students listen, discuss, and vote. Global voting makes the stakes real — votes from a classroom in Florida count alongside votes from Texas, California, and Latin America.

Points: Students earn points based on how accurately they predicted each matchup. Teachers typically award prizes within their classes to top predictors.

What Happens in the Spanish Classroom

Integrated listening and comprehension: Each song matchup is a listening comprehension opportunity. The natural structure of two songs per day provides predictable daily content without teacher prep.

Culture instruction: Locura de Marzo's song selection — deliberately drawn from across the Spanish-speaking world — is one of the best culture instruction frameworks available. Past brackets have introduced students to artists from countries underrepresented in standard textbook curricula.

Vocabulary in context: Students consistently report memorizing vocabulary from competition songs without traditional drill. As one student described it: "You get the song stuck in your head."

Opinion expression in Spanish: Teachers who require students to explain their vote ("Me gusta más X porque...") create a consistent daily speaking production activity that compounds over the full month.

The Four Benefits Spanish Teachers Report Most Often

- Reinforcing grammar and vocabulary in a more engaging way — authentic linguistic content without the teacher having to source it
- Cultural representation that textbooks can't match — international song selection exposes students to artists from countries their curriculum rarely covers
- Relevance for both students and teachers — Locura de Marzo introduces teachers to artists and genres they hadn't been listening to, keeping content current
- Individual connection and excitement — "It gives students some sort of individual connection, passion or excitement for the language" (teacher quote from participating school)

Locura de Marzo and Roxxem

Roxxem has an official collaboration with Señor Ashby's Locura de Marzo. The Roxxem Locura de Marzo tournament runs in parallel to the main competition: rather than voting for which song is more popular, students play interactive language comprehension games with each song on Roxxem and earn points based on how well they understand the lyrics. Individual participation is free; class-level competition requires Roxxem Pro Teacher.

How to Get Started

- Visit senorashby.com — navigate to the Locura de Marzo page for the current year's bracket, song list, and materials
- Join the Locura de Marzo Facebook group for teacher community, shared resources, and lesson plan collaboration
- Download the bracket and printable materials from the shared Google Drive linked on Señor Ashby's site
- Assign students the initial bracket prediction activity before the competition starts
- Build 10-15 minute daily activities around each day's matchup (listen, vote, discuss)
- If integrating Roxxem: register for the Roxxem Locura de Marzo tournament at roxxem.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Locura de Marzo free? Yes. Bracket, materials, resources, and global voting are free. Roxxem skills-based tournament is free for individuals; class-level competition requires Roxxem Pro Teacher.

What grade levels? Middle school, high school, and college Spanish learners. Most commonly used in grades 6 through 12.

How much class time? Most teachers dedicate 10-15 minutes per class period during March. Designed as a supplement to regular instruction, not a replacement.

What languages? Locura de Marzo covers Spanish. For French: Manie Musicale. For German: Musik im März Madness.