![]() This article was about how math and music are closely related and how it traces back to early life of a human. There are elements of music such as tempo, rhythm and beat that trigger principles like spatial properties, sequencing and counting patterns. (Geist and Kuznik 2012). They mention of how parts of the brain process steady beats and how that is closely related to attention. Mathematical learning begins very early in life. There have been many studies on infants and the benefit of music in their developmental stages of emergent mathematics and literacy. If we teach patterns through musical influences at an early age, there is a good possibility it will benefit a child's cognitive abilities. (Bell et al. 2009; Meltzoff et al. 2009). Human brains process the sound of steady beats in the premotor area of the brain which is coincidentally related to attention (Bengtsson et al. 2008). I find that very interesting because if you think of going to a concert, we all bob to the same beat and if we weren't paying attention, we would all be off beat. After reading article upon article, I really loved and connected on what Geist and Kuznik had to say about music and the effects of the brain-especially relating to early life. One of the pieces that really stood out to me was the mention of how a steady drum beat (or rhythm-only stimuli) was more engaging than verbal only instructions (Geist, Kuznik 2012). I found this to be very true when I was in my first year of teaching. I noticed when I incorporated drumming beats during our syllable and spelling lessons, it really got those little bodies moving and brains firing. Same with math patterns. I started a conga line as we sung the "doubles rap." They were attentive, they smiled, and they really focused on the beat of the drum in relation to the spelling word or math problem. Another point Geist and Kuznik mention that I found to be interesting was that our bodies naturally move to a steady beat. When Geist and Kuznik mention that steady beat in the premotor context of our brains related to attention, I took a look back in time when I started to drum, or clap to a beat- the kids immediately followed along. There is no denying that music doesn't help us learn. On top of learning, it generally makes us happy which in turn, stimulates our brains and that is when the wanting to learn begins and therefore leads to ultimate retention. Reference: Geist, K., Geist, E. A., & Kuznik, K. (2012). The patterns of music: Young children learning mathematics through beat, rhythm, and melody. YC Young Children, 67(1), 74.
8 Comments
Kim Silbaugh
8/25/2016 08:03:13 am
Sarah - I love the look of this site! I am interested in either topic that we discussed and excited to see it unfold here within your research.
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Sarah
8/31/2016 05:01:20 pm
Thanks for your comments Kim! I am excited to explore this topic as it is something I have been passionate about in my previous year of teaching. Thanks for your enthusiasm and feedback! (and resources)
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Ashley Felt (Dodson)
10/8/2016 01:17:29 pm
Sarah,
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Sarah Belger
11/30/2016 05:49:52 pm
I'm glad you are more intrigued about movement and music! It really is an amazing thing. There are many articles via EBSCO about singing (and believe me, I am not the best what so ever) but singing new words to the tunes of songs we all know like Jingle Bells, The Wheels on the Bus, Row Row Row your boat. If you are so inclined, look some of them up and they are great for management as well. :)
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Cynthia Bruton
10/8/2016 06:40:40 pm
Sarah,
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Sarah Belger
11/30/2016 05:53:08 pm
Hi Cynthia,
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Whitney Elmshaeuser
10/10/2016 04:27:49 am
Sarah,
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Jarvious Grayson
12/11/2016 06:08:07 pm
This is a very interesting topic. I remember my fourth grade teacher use music when we were work. I remembered how focused I had gotten when I was working. When looking at the results in your classroom, it makes me confident in how music stimulates the brain while working academically.
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About:Welcome to my blog! If you are interested in learning how music, movement and the brain work together, check out my summaries and reviews based on peer reviewed and research based articles. I have loved reading and learning more about how music, exercise and movement help the brain learn. I hope you enjoy it too! Archives
March 2017
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