The Woodmore Spanish class is hosting its version of March Madness. But instead of basketball, it’s Spanish music. The bracket contains a total of sixteen songs: Hoy, La Piel, Imagínate, Segundo Intento, Chanel, Escapar de mi, Otra Vez, Qué suerte tenerte, Sofia, Ale Ale, Reina Leona, Tal Vez, ¿Cómo pasó?, Don, Ojitos Rojos, and Duelo.
Junior Camille Strong, who’s in Honors Spanish Three, says, “Musica Madness is fun because we hear the different genres of music in Spanish, and lots of kids enjoy watching the music videos while comparing each song to one another. This year, many people also liked creating a bracket to try to win if they predicted correctly.”
Sophomore Emma Hahn is taking Spanish Two. She says, “It’s a good way to learn about a different culture and to expand your music taste. It also makes the class more enjoyable when everyone dreads the last couple of months of school.”
But who’s the man behind all this Madness? Mr Rellstab is Woodmores Spanish teacher and he has been teaching here for quite some time. I asked him what inspired him to do this. He said, “I was inspired to do this by other Spanish teachers. Others had talked about doing brackets in their classroom, mainly from Spanishplans, who started his blog in 2010. Mrs. Rellstab, a former Spanish teacher herself, did a bracket, and this gave me the impetus to do it myself. My difference is that I wanted the whole high school to be able to participate. You don’t have to be in Spanish class to enjoy music and share your opinion!”
He was also asked how he chooses the songs that he uses. He responded, saying, “I go through songs on YouTube from roughly the past year, listening for themes, popularity, and of course, school-appropriate language! I generally make the seeding based on YouTube views, but not always. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have Jordyn Dunn- Spanish club member- to submit popular songs from YouTube/TikTok that I haven’t heard.”
He was asked one more question: How does this tournament improve the students’ Spanish skills? Rellstab said, “I would say the purpose of this tournament is less the improvement of their Spanish skills and instead have more opportunity to listen to different genres and react to the culture across the Spanish-speaking world. Sometimes it’s nice to listen to music- maybe even picking up familiar words!–and enjoy it for pleasure’s sake. I know my students would enjoy the bracket less if they had to fill in missing words and do other instructional activities. This also gives non-Spanish-taking students and staff a chance to participate in something outside of the classroom, which music and culture should do!”
Be sure to vote for the Spanish songs you like best this year for the Musical Madness tournament.
