Break Up the Music
How Many Counts?
Beginner
Together, listen to a song and count the beat up to 10 and see how far into the song you get.
Tip: Remember to not pick a song that is too long to keep your child engaged. Try it with slow and fast songs
Intermediate
Together, listen to a song and see how high you can count on the beat. Check how far into the song you get. Work together to identify the halfway mark of the song.
Tip: Once you count as high as you can, try picking up at one again!
Experienced
Pick a song and identify counts of 8 within it. Count up by 8s and then restart back at one each time
Tip: “Try counting faster in “double time” and slower in “half time”.
Why is this important?
Using math with music can be beneficial as it can promote engaged learning.
References: Azaryahu, L., Courey, S. J., Elkoshi, R., & Adi, J. E. (2020). ‘MusiMath’ and ‘Academic Music’ – two music‐based intervention programs for fractions learning in fourth grade students. Developmental Science, 23(4). https://doi-org.uwinnipeg.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/desc.12882 Journal of Music Teacher Education , Volume 1(2),16-23. Barry, N. (1992). Music and Education in the Elementary Music Methods Class. https://doi.org/10.1177/105708379200200104