Math and Music Activity/Project: Fractions and Ratios
Students use ratios & proportions to the beat of their favorite songs! The purpose of this activity is to show students how music and math are related and that musicians use mathematical principles in creating musical pieces.
Grades: Kindergarten - 5th
Teaching Duration: 3 hours
“This was a great activity. Very easy for me the teacher and my students to use. My students loved working on this project and enjoyed their critical thinking skills used.”
lesson overview
Students use ratios & proportions to the beat of their favorite songs!
The purpose of this activity is to show students how music and math are related and that musicians use mathematical principles in creating musical pieces. This packet includes one in-depth activity plus an extension.
Activity 1: "Beats Per Minute"
The first activity begins as a class with students listening and clapping along to songs with different tempos. Students then use the data to complete graphing and ratio word problems. For example, if a song has 120 beats per minute, how many beats are in 2 minutes?
Activity 2: "Marching Band"
Students march to the beat of a song and measure the distance. They compute ratio calculations to determine how many beats to march across a football field.
These activities can be assigned as homework, individual work, or small group work. This material can be used as: supplemental instruction to fraction and ratios, extracurricular work for students, or activities for an after school math or STEM club.
