Teaching Fractions Through Music

While probably not a surprise to any of you, you'll likely appreciate this article from Science Daily: Getting in Rhythm Helps Children Grasp Fractions, Study Finds.

In his piano lesson this week my son is learning a clapping pattern emphasizing note values. Even as we were doing it, he reflected on the connection to fractions.

I love the idea of equating fraction bars to musical notes. (See the article for a picture.) Fraction bars are a pretty common tool...but this is a innovative way to think about them. This article says:

"Academic Music: Music Instruction to Engage Third Grade Students in Learning Basic Fraction Concepts" has been accepted for press in the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics and will be published online next week.

Looking forward to it!