Can Music Help Your Students Learn Math?

Many teachers use music in their primary classrooms.  Does it have a place in math?  This blog looks at how I used music to improve student learning in my classroom.

One of the research papers I wrote while earning my Specialist in Primary Math was about the link between music and math.  With a background in music, I wondered if incorporating it into my lessons could improve math learning.  I found out that it did!

Using Music Improves Mood

Music has long been recognized as a powerful tool for enhancing learning and memory retention. Research has shown that when we listen to music, our brains release dopamine, a chemical that is associated with pleasure and reward.  When children are happy, they are more likely to be engaged and learn new information.  As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, music is the universal language!        

Enhances Memory                                                                                

Music engages different parts of the brain simultaneously, including the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning.  I started using music during our calendar routine with my Grade 1 class. We had songs for learning math concepts including:

• the days of the week
• months of the year
  
• the seasons
• money amounts
• skip counting
• using doubles

It Works!

Some of the songs I made up.  Some were on a CD. Others, I looked for on websites.  What I found out was the following:

• students with memory difficulties were more likely to benefit.  When I would test them for counting by two’s, for example, they would sing me the song and do the actions (showing two fingers, then 4, 6, 8, and 10) all the way up to 50.  These were children who, previously, could barely count by 1’s.
• everyone “knew” the days of the week, months of the year, and the seasons by singing the songs to me.
• the children were happy!  They loved doing the songs and the actions.  Everyone was engaged and focused on learning the words.  I was happy!  It just put us all in a good mood!

One year, I had two former students visit my grade 1 class.  They had just finished high school.  And, yet, as we did our calendar routine, they were singing right along with us.  Yes, they still remembered the months of the year song!  This is it:

January, February, 

March, April, May,

June, July, and August,

Now Fall is on its way.

With September, October,

And November, too.

The last month is December.

That's all we have to do!

You don’t need to be a good singer to incorporate music in your math teaching.  There are some excellent CDs available, and songs on YouTube or you can make up your own.  The children will do the rest!  Give it a try!  I would love to know what you think!