When I began high
school, I had no idea what to expect when entering separate classrooms based on
subject. When I first entered my Grade 9
Math class, I distinctly recall being told that music and math work on opposite
sides of the brain and that if we strategically use math and music together, we
will be more successful in remembering key mathematical concepts. It was an interesting way to start off the
year, but to this day I will never forget that math class and the concepts that
I did in fact remember due to the magic of music.
Throughout that semester we would
learn topics in an interactive and engaging manner, and every now and then
would be taught a song that explicitly represented a math concept. How can a Grade 9 student deny the humour in
singing a math song together with a class of 60 students and two co-teachers,
about how “I’m a negative exponent and I’ll tell you more, move the whole power
to a different floor” to the tune of I’m
a Little Teapot? Who could ever forget
a rhyming country themed song about how to solve for the unknown in an
algebraic problem?
Firstly, I think that it is funny
how I still remember these two songs to this day. Secondly, I think it is funny that to this
day, whenever I do mathematical work whether it is for a University Math or
Chemistry course, I thrive off of getting through the work while listening to
music. I thoroughly enjoy “rocking out”
to my favourite songs while completing numerical problems. I have fun while doing this and sometimes find
that I get the work done more efficiently with the music.
All in all, I think that music makes
a big difference in math and I truly believe that the incorporation of music into
the math class can engage and benefit a wide range of students.
