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Whether children like to sing, dance, play an instrument or listen to it while studying, music is everywhere. That means that math is also everywhere. Discover valuable math lessons by learning more about music and how it’s made. The do-re-mi scale is one that nearly everybody knows. Still, most people don’t realize that it is actually constructed by stacking up notes produced when the length of a vibrating string is repeatedly cut in half. A guitar serves as the best example, but any length of string stretched tight enough to pluck a sound can demonstrate the same acoustic principle, formally called a harmonic series. Rhythm is an aspect of music that is particularly intuitive; even those who consider themselves nonmusical can bang a drum or just pat their hands on the kitchen table. Two people can make music -- and math -- by trying this simple exercise: Begin together with a steady beat, and count out loud in fours: one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four, etc. When established, one drummer keeps it going while the other beats twice as fast: one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and, one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and, and so on. Each tap is a fraction of a beat. Even if you don’t use the words, "quarters" and "eighths," this is an exercise in math. To break the rhythm down more, keep a steady "home beat" (one-two-three-four) and experiment with various subdivisions. Say each new rhythm as you play it: groups of three against a single beat (one-and-a, two-and-a, three-and-a, four-and-a, etc.) and even groups of four (one-ee-and-a, two-ee-and-a, etc.). Each number in the series is a tap of the hand, and the other syllables come between. Radio hits your son or daughter sings along with can open the door to looking at song forms. The musically adventurous can count and map beats, bars and sections. Dissecting a melody further reveals scales, patterns and repetition. The connections between math and music can be simple or very complex. For example, the book Godel, Escher, Bach is a discussion mathematical overlap of architecture, art and music. Studies show that children who play an instrument earn better grades in school. If you can get your child hooked on music, he or she won’t miss a beat in math class next year. - Emmet Rosenfeld |
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