Music Across the Board

(submitted by beth)

This last year I made posters for "decorations" to put at the front of my room. I took 1-3 minutes each period to explain what math or reading skill the music lesson was related to.

"Every time you read a staff You are interpreting a graph"

math skill

"Reading the words of a song?

That's a reading skill

"Understand the words of a song?

That's another reading skill!

Rhythms are numbers set to musical tones!

that's a math skill

you get the idea? You could mention history, science, etc... using this method, but in Texas with our the state mandated skills test that only tests reading, writing and math, the other subjects aren't necessary. By the second or third week of this the kids were totally convinced music would make them pass the state test, and low and behold, alomost 90% of them did, a record for our school!