Summer SAVY, Session 3 Day 1, Math and Music (5th – 6th)
Welcome to our week-long SAVY adventure! We kicked off an exciting journey today in Math and Music, where we explored the fascinating world of mathematics and its intersection with music. On this first day, we began with introductions and then ventured into probability.
Before diving into the math lesson of the day, we took the time to get to know one another because a strong and supportive community is crucial for effective learning. The students shared their names, their hometowns, their schools, their hobbies, and most importantly, a song or fun fact that they felt described their personality. These songs ranged from Pirates of the Caribbean to Billy Joel to Taylor Swift and more! After a few songs and introductions, it was obvious that the students were already getting comfortable with one another and making some fast friends. We then brainstormed rules for the classroom and ways to demonstrate respect for each other. The students came up with the following rules all on their own and have been abiding by them in all ways!
- Try your best and work as hard as you can (even if that means you are not the best!).
- Be open-minded and honor others’ ideas and opinions.
- Be respectful, kind, and responsible.
- Do not be distracting to others’ learning experiences.
- Have fun and have a positive attitude! There will be songs you do not like and math that is very hard, but that is okay!
After we got to know one another, it was time to explore probability. Many students hadn’t heard of it, so we started from the ground up and made sure everyone was on the same page. We learned that probability is the branch of mathematics that deals with the likelihood of events occurring. To demonstrate this, we gathered a playlist of student’s favorite musical pieces and used the random shuffle feature to discover probability! We discussed the probability of our favorite song being played next, the probability that our song would be played third, and even the probability our song would be played very last. They then learned that all of these situations corresponded to intersections, unions, and probabilities in mathematics!
Our calculations of probabilities demonstrated through a Venn diagram are attached below. I would encourage you to ask your student about what the symbols mean and how we calculated the probabilities.
Day 1 in Math and MusicI at SAVY was a JOY to experience! We set the stage for an exciting week of exploration, collaboration, and discovery. Your students are incredibly bright, curious, and creative, and I am so excited to see what we create this week! I look forward to witnessing students’ growth as they develop their mathematical skills, forge new friendships, and uncover the magic of math within music. Tomorrow, we will discuss the fine line between inspiration and copyright, and we will also get to delve more into the intricacies of math and music within time signatures and fractions!
A few dinner discussion questions are listed below to help you jog your student’s memory of the day we had!
- What do we define as “music?”
- Does making music require math? How so?
- What are some ways we can see probability in math?
We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning!
