Abstract

Researchers have recently queried whether musical activities that express mathematical concepts enhance young students’ math skills. The use of abstract notations for math learning is also debated. The current study examined the effect of a music intervention program on pattern and symmetry knowledge. Simple graphical notation-writing was used for clarifying the abstractness of the music form and its relation to mathematical concepts. Four third-grade classes attended ten lessons on patterns and symmetry: two music classes (n = 48), and two comparison classes (n = 48). The students in the music classes were taught to write symbolic representations of musical properties and to recognize patterns and symmetry via the symbols they wrote. Pre- to post-intervention analyses indicated that the integrated music/math intervention groups had higher pre-to-post gains on math tests scores that were retained 6-months post-intervention. Students in the music groups also showed effective learning of notation-writing and transfer of note writing knowledge to a different musical piece. The music-math intervention enabled students to acquire knowledge about patterns and symmetry through repeated experiences, particularly through music-related notation-writing, suggesting that multiple representations facilitated deeper understanding and learning outcomes.

摘要

研究人员最近质疑表达数学概念的音乐活动是否能提高年轻学生的数学技能。在数学学习中使用抽象符号也存在争议。目前的研究检查了音乐干预计划对模式和对称知识的影响。使用简单的图形符号书写来阐明音乐形式的抽象性及其与数学概念的关系。四个三年级班级参加了十节关于图案和对称性的课程：两个音乐课（n  = 48）和两个比较课（n = 48)。音乐课上的学生被教导写出音乐属性的符号表示，并通过他们写的符号识别模式和对称性。干预前后的分析表明，综合音乐/数学干预组在干预后 6 个月保留的数学测试分数上具有更高的前后增益。音乐组的学生也表现出有效的记谱写作学习和笔记写作知识转移到不同的音乐作品。音乐数学干预使学生能够通过重复的经验，特别是通过与音乐相关的符号写作获得关于模式和对称性的知识，这表明多重表示有助于更深入的理解和学习成果。