I am such a fan of March Music Madness! Anything that relates to basketball in March in Indiana (go Hoosiers!!) is SURE to be a huge hit!!
I do not know who originated the idea, but boy, have they made a difference in the dull weeks leading up to Spring Break in my classes! I first heard about this on the iFLT/NTPRS/CI Facebook group.
Last year I purchased the TPT unit from Spanish Plans. You can read about how it went, here and here. It truly saved my sanity last March and the students STILL connect with the songs outside my class… on a regular basis! They include them in the school dance playlists, have Spotify playlists for studying, and we play them at GSHS Track and Field meets!
I chose to go my “own way” this year only because the new March Music Madness 2019 had several repeats from last year. And while I know that in basketball the same powerhouse universities are in the tournament year after year, it is seldom with the exact same teammates. Plus, I knew that if I didn’t bring something fresh and hype to my classroom, mass exodus would ensue!
Here are the songs I included in my playlist:
(braketed completely randomly, btw)
Si tu me quisieras – Mon Laferte
Un año – Sebastian Yatra y Reik
Asi Soy – Maite Perroni
Madre Tierra – Chayanne
No soy como tu crees – Ana Mena
Fiesta – Kalimba
100 años – Ha’ash y Prince Royce
Limón y Sal – Julieta Vargas
Celoso – Lele Pons
Apaga y Vámonos – Ventimo
Dime Cosas Lindas – Dame 5
Chocolate – Jesse y Joy
Completa – Corina Smith
Amarillo – Shakira
Ella – Álvaro Soler
I included Si tu me quisieras by Mon Laferte because she is quirky and definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. I wanted to show my students that if they, too, are unique and just don’t fit the ‘cool kid box’ that that makes you even more beautiful and successful in my eyes.
Our Spring Musical, Newsies!, is next weekend, so in honor of my theatre kids, I chose Asi soy by Maite Perroni. Our theme this past fall for Vaudeville (variety show) was ‘Under the Big Top’, so a lot of songs from the movie The Greatest Showman were naturally included. I have a TON of students in the spring musical (we have about 140 students in our 700 student building participating!) and wanted to show them that their love of theatre is a love that crosses cultures.
Dime cosas lindas by Dame 5 was a song I knew most of my students would love to hate! The rhythms are so off in this one! Having quite a few music students in class, I knew the conversation would open up to what you definitely DON’T want to happen in a song or concert. These students had the rare opportunity to be the experts in class and others followed their lead and learned WHY they didn’t like the song.
Madre Tierra by Chayanne is in there for a couple reasons. 1) It’s Chayanne! I have loved his music for a long time. 🙂 And 2) I have two students who are studying in Mérida, México this summer through IU’s Program in Foreign Languages. This video has many images from Mérida, TONS of culture, and a great message. And, 3) did I mention Chayanne???
Celoso by Lele Pons is a song that I introduced my students to in January with a chorus activity. They only knew her from her comic bits and had not idea that she could sing. Many had a change of heart about her due to hearing her music and have already added this song to their personal playlists.
Completa by Corina Smith is a song with a powerful message that failed in sending this message out to the world with an average and very typical video. I wanted to be able to discuss ways to show we are empowered that are a-typical and outside-the-box.
The best part of March Music Madness 2019 in my classroom? It has to be the fact that my students are now music critics. We have in-depth conversations about the pros and cons of the videos and how NOTHING, EVER will compare to Robarte un beso as far as musical quality and video storyline. We make comparisons. Students form and defend opinions. We have just as much fun, but they have super high expectations of music. The typical scantily-clad chica wagging her booty just won’t cut it in this crowd.
I ask you…
… what’s not to love about March Music Madness???
