Week 8 ~ Music ~ Cross Curriculum Capabilities

There is geometry in the humming of the strings- Pythagoras (Platonic Realms, 2014)  

This week we workshopped ideas for teaching music through cross-curriculum lesson planning. Music is a subject that despite my initial thoughts as being generally a stand-alone subject, occasionally integrated into the other creative arts, can in fact be taught in a meaningful way whilst addressing outcomes from other subjects. Mathematics for example may appear as a subject of logic and reason in contrast to the creativity and freedom of music. However in brainstorming potential ideas for cross-curriculum activities, we thought of a wide range of activities spaning across the entire breadth of the mathematics curriculum.

The benefits of music for numeracy is well documented. Children who study music perform better in literacy and mathematics, one such benefit is known as the Mozart effect (Gibson & Ewing, 2011). The Mozart effect claims that children who are exposed to classical music demonstrate improved spatial visualisation and reasoning which would benefit space, measurement and geometry. Other skills such as understanding rhythm will assist in understanding ratios and fractions, also patterns in music transfer well to patterns in music. Beyond the enjoyment and engagement that a cross curriculum approach can bring, music and mathematics together will mutually benefit learning in both subjects.

Mathematics- Group Brainstorm

Algebra- Filling in a bar with the correct note to make up the full value

Patterns- Completing ostinatos and other musical patterns by adding the missing note value/ note pitch

Geometry- Discussing the shapes of instruments, comparing the shapes of instruments and the types of sounds they make

Sequencing- Listening for the order of instruments

Number- Using note value to do addition and subtraction, counting/ counting in bars, using time value to teach ratios.

References:

Gibson, R & Ewing, R. (2011).Transforming the curriculum through the arts. South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan.

Plantonic Realms (2014). Topic: Maths. Retrieved from http://platonicrealms.com/quotes/topics/music