Math and music may seem worlds apart, but an extensive analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal Educational Studies indicates a harmonious link between the two that can potentially help children excel in their maths classes.
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Half a century of research
The study led by Dr Ayça Akın of Antalya Belek University in Turkey dives into 50 years of research on the subject, investigating how music, when woven into maths lessons, could enhance children's understanding and enjoyment of the subject.
To compile her findings, Dr. Akın trawled through academic databases, combining the results of 55 studies from all over the world. These studies involved nearly 78,000 children, ranging from tiny tots in kindergarten to more mature university students.
Three Key Musical Interventions
The analysis included three kinds of musical teaching methods:
Typical music lessons where children sing and compose music (standardized music interventions).
Lessons teaching children to play instruments (instrumental music interventions).
A new approach integrating music into maths lessons (music-maths integrated interventions).
The results were fascinating and encouraging. When maths and music were combined in lessons, students saw a significant improvement in their maths abilities over time.
The integrated music-maths lessons had the most powerful impact, with an impressive 73% of students outperforming those who didn't have any form of musical intervention. Instrument learning lessons and standard music lessons also enhanced maths skills, showing improvement in 69% and 58% of students, respectively.
The Benefits of a Musical Approach
Furthermore, Dr. Akın's research suggested that music is particularly helpful in mastering arithmetic and more basic mathematical concepts, and seems to benefit younger pupils more. This connection is not surprising, given that both maths and music involve abstract thinking, quantitative reasoning, and the use of symbols and symmetry.
A lesson integrating music might involve associating musical note lengths with fractions or using maths to design musical instruments. This methodology not only helps children grasp core maths concepts but also allows them to see the parallels and connections between maths and music, providing a richer, more engaging learning environment.
However, Dr. Akın's study wasn't without its limitations. Due to a small number of available studies, the research couldn't examine the effects of factors such as gender, socio-economic status, or the duration of musical instruction on the results.
Despite this, Dr. Akın's findings offer an important insight into improving children's maths performance. While music instruction has a moderate effect on maths achievement, lessons that integrate maths and music seem to have a powerful impact.
The Takeaway
The takeaway for educators and parents alike? Planning maths lessons that incorporate music could not only help kids conquer their fear of numbers but also significantly boost their academic achievement.
So, let's strike the right note in education by making learning a harmonious experience!
If you are interested in more details about the study, be sure to check out the paper, published in Educational Studies, listed below.
Sources and further reading:
Let me make mathematics and music together: A meta-analysis of the causal role of music interventions on mathematics achievement - (Educational Studies)
Communication skills are more important than math skills when it comes to learning to code - (Universal-Sci)
Can bees do maths? Yes – new research shows they can add and subtract - (Universal-Sci)
Mathematics is beautiful (no, really) - (Universal-Sci)
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