Summer SAVY, Session 3 Day 4, “Math & Music” (5th-6th)
Today in class, we explored the topic of patterns and how they show up all around us. We started by discussing different types of patterns we see in nature, art, and everyday life. It was exciting to realize that patterns aren’t just in math, but are everywhere… in the leaves on trees, the stripes on animals, and even the shapes of buildings. This got us thinking about how patterns help us understand and organize the world.
Next, we learned about tessellations, which are patterns made by repeating shapes that fit together perfectly without any gaps or overlaps. Tessellations are often seen in tile designs and mosaics. We talked about famous artists like M.C. Escher, who used tessellations in his artwork to create mind-bending images. After learning what tessellations are, we had fun creating our own tessellations using foam shapes, making sure they repeated in a way that covered the whole plane seamlessly.
Our discussion then shifted to patterns in music. We explored how songs often have repeating patterns in the rhythm, melody, and lyrics. For example, the chorus in a song usually repeats several times, creating a familiar pattern that listeners can recognize and enjoy. We also talked about beats and how musicians keep steady patterns that help hold the music together. It was interesting to think about how these musical patterns make songs catchy and easy to follow.
Another way that patterns show up is in square dancing! We learned the square dance to the Cotton Eyed Joe as a little bit of a wiggle break, but also a way to learn about where patterns show up in dance. The moves repeat in a sequence, and everyone has to follow the pattern to keep the dance flowing smoothly. It was fun to see how patterns aren’t just visual or musical, they can also be physical movements that bring people together.
We were super excited to make our own songs with the instruments we have available! We started by establishing a beat with our jingle bells, then laid out some more rhythm with our claves, and built some intricacies with our hand bells and shakers! Two brave students gave us some improv on the recorders to really pull our sound together. It was interesting to see how a song can be built on nothing but patterns alone, and I really think that helped students feel inspired and motivated to make their own music! We started brainstorming songs of our own today, and I think the students are incredibly excited to get to execute and perform them tomorrow!
Our favorite part of the day was a special field trip where we got to talk to some high school students and their professor about the inner ear. They shared amazing details about how the ear works and answered many of our questions about how we hear music (and even our questions about ear infections and why our ears pop on airplanes!). Learning about the inner ear helped us understand why patterns in sound are so important for listening and enjoying music. It was a wonderful way to connect everything we learned about patterns in both sight and sound.
Zoe
