MathBeat | The Royal Conservatory of Music

MathBeat

What is MathBeat?

Teachers describe MathBeat as “a universal platform for learning”. It helps Grade 5-8 students think about mathematical relationships in a fresh way by listening to, measuring, and manipulating musical patterns - and it's currently available to use free of charge!

When we listen to music, our brain uses grids to relate the timing of notes and the steps higher or lower in a melody to each other.
MathBeat makes these grids visible for students, so it’s easy to spot, measure, and manipulate musical relationships using math tools.
There are 17 MathBeat lessons in total covering operations with fractions, rates, ratios, percentages, and transformations. These topics benefit from a real-world context that make sense to students.
The play-based learning approach used by MathBeat draws in all students who appreciate the opportunity to explore their creativity while learning math.

Resources

Click here for the web app.
Click here to view the lessons and explore the scope of curriculum coverage.
Click here for the app explainer.
Click here for the culminating project PDF.
Teacher Prep
We recommend that teachers begin by taking in a free webinar or math educators’ conference presentation. Participants discuss where they see the math in a MathBeat lesson and then brainstorm where they could go with the math-music connection. It’s collegial, hands-on, and fun!
Join Our Webinar - REGISTER HERE
Sign up for a free, one-hour MathBeat webinar to ensure you have everything you need to start using MathBeat in the classroom.
- October 5, 7PM ET/5PM MT/4PM PT
- October 11, 9PM ET/7PM MT/6PM PT
- October 18, 7PM ET/5PM MT/4PM PT
- October 26, 9PM ET/7PM MT/6PM PT
We will also be running workshops at these conferences
- October 20: BCAMT (BC Association of Math Teachers Conference) Surrey, BC
- October 21: MCATA (Mathematics Council Alberta Teachers Association) Calgary, AB
In-school PD sessions can also be arranged for a modest fee, please click here for more information on this option.
MathBeat Teacher Certification
MathBeat Teacher Certification, offered online, provides an in-depth PD opportunity for teachers who want to learn more and become their school’s MathBeat expert and is offered at no charge.

Certification includes:
- webinars spaced over the school year;
- virtual class visit by one of the professional musicians featured in the videos;
- culminating project;
- submission of an example of student work;
- a certificate upon successful completion.
There are a limited number of places in this free program and the deadline to enroll is December 1, 2023.

RESERVE HERE

Want to learn more? Please email any questions to [email protected]
About The Royal Conservatory of Music

The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) has been providing educators with curated resources and tools to enhance their teaching practice since 1886.

In 1995, the RCM created a new division, Learning Through the Arts, to empower public school teachers to weave music and the arts into their instruction.

In 2014/15, an academic study by a Queen’s University researcher found that Learning Through the Arts led to large gains for a cohort of Grade 9 math students in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The percentage of Indigenous students who met the provincial standard grew from 44 to 66%, nearing the provincial average for all students. Non-indigenous students also experienced large gains.

MathBeat builds on this achievement with user friendly tools and resources so non-musically trained teachers can now benefit from including math-music connections in their instruction.