Mathematics in Music

Help students find the connections between mathematics and music with these lesson plans, printables, and references. There are plenty of fun and interactive ways for your students to learn about jazz, Mozart, and composing music, while exploring numbers, patterns, and graphing. From learning about tempo to writing songs about math concepts, you'll find great activities for elementary, intermediate, and high school students.

Lesson Plans Math and Music: Fibonacci Sequence Students discover that patterns in music that relate to the Fibonacci Sequence. Patterns in Music and Math Students learn how to solve music and math problems by finding patterns. Graphing Pitch Distribute a group activity that explains the musical relationship between length of instruments and their pitch. Tap Your Feet Students will practice following a pattern and become familiar with the concept of beat in music. They will be introduced to tempo. They will gain experience playing the beat on non-pitched rhythm instruments, at various tempos. This activity will culminate in the creation of a rhythm piece. Musical Notation Organizing Permutations This handout goes with the lesson, Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations. Numbers and Songs Students will create and perform songs based on math concepts and facts, with this lesson plan. It is designed for students in 5th through 7th grades, but can be customized to meet your classroom needs. Jazz & Math Connected Jazz and Math: Improvisation Permutations In this lesson students explore how many different rhythmic combinations can be improvised in a jazz/blues piece of music and derive a mathematical formula. Jazz and Math: Rhythmic Innovations Learn about the use of fractions in music. Interactive Timeline Students will explore ragtime music and gain an understanding of its development in relation to jazz. They will also investigate the historical events during the time the genre evolved.

References Math and Music: Leonardo of Pisa Brief explanation of Leonardo of Pisa's finding of the Fibonacci Sequence and its relation to music. Mozart Explore connections in mathematics and music with this article on Mozart. Printable Activities Numbers and Songs Student Guide Children will write and perform a song about a math concept. Use with the Numbers and Songs lesson. Curious George at the Parade: Band Member Shuffle Use this early learning activity for math and music to review terms for instruments. Help Curious George arrange the members of the band every possible way. Curious George "Ten Little Monkeys" Song Connect music and literature with these printable lyrics to "Ten Little Monkeys". Children are sure to enjoy learning this bed time song as they read about the adventures of Curious George. The Music Mouse Try a math activity that focuses on skip counting by five's to 100. Related Music Resources Music National Content Standard #8 Music National Content Standard #8 focuses on understanding relationships between music and other disciplines. Use these resources to connect music with reading, math, social studies, and other arts. National Standards for Music Education Incorporate the nine National Standards for Music Education into your curriculum. Use these resources to teach students in grades K-12 about singing, instruments, music composition, and much more! Music Resources for Teachers Bring some music into your classroom with lessons and printables! Celebrate Music in Our Schools Month in March, or enjoy music on a regular basis with your students.