Dig In

Music activates our brain’s networks in ways no other medium can. Our limbic system, which handles emotions and memories, switches on when we detect music.

The beauty is that it switches on without any conscious thought. It happens in the background. (Like the classical music you’ve been playing in your classroom, right?) Studies have found that Mozart’s music can activate brain areas associated with spatial reasoning or the ability to think through abstract, complex problems. (Math anxiety, anyone?) By the way, Mozart was also a mathematician. His symphonies stimulate mathematical thinking.

Remember, you don’t have to teach your students this. Please search for a composer using your favourite music streaming app and let it play. Say nothing. Teach that algebra lesson. Engage with those quadratic equations. Experiment with sine, cosine, and tangent.

Check how your students performed when the music was playing versus when it wasn’t. Another question you could ask yourself is: Was my teaching better when the music was playing?

You don’t have to be a music teacher to use music in your classroom. Your students won’t notice it if you persist with it. I’m sure you’ll get comments. Some will be favourable, but many won’t. But dig in. Keep at it. You’ve got this!