I have read that kids who play piano score higher in math, especially on problems dealing with ratios and fractions. Have not found that to be true with my son.

Are all you teachers good in math?

So you're wanting a random sample then to compare to the general population?

You'll need a large population to get achieve significance.

(No, I'm rubbish at maths.)

hahahahaha
(You can take that as a "no")

Mmm.... well I started piano at age 8 and I'm not that great in Math. My son started piano also at age 8 and he struggled with Math. However, my daughter started group piano at age 4 and she's a whiz.

Over the years I've taken informal polls of the parents in my group piano classes. I've tracked several of these students from when they started with me as toddlers and are now in junior high. It seems that the kids who start music class very young (age 2 or so) and continue on to piano at age 4 do really well in Math later on in elementary school and junior high.

It's not scientific but it's my experience of 35 years of teaching that has brought me to that conclusion.

Well, just keep him playing, if at the end he is not good at math, he will become a music teacher :-)

Like Hahaha!

I am a music teacher who is not good in math. However, math is my favorite subject in high school.

I have only read that it effects spatial reasoning. And it isn't just piano - art does the same thing.

I will say that my daughter had math and piano for 2 years (grades 1 and 2)using http://mindresearch.net/cont/programs/prog_stmm_desc.php

It didn't teach her how to play piano. She mostly listened to music and then went to the math lab and worked at her own pace. There was some keyboarding but not real songs and I am not sure note reading was used - it was very basic and the music part was class based (not self paced if I am remembering correctly). I don't know how helpful it was because the second year the company had to open all the levels for her to access because she completed the program. But I have read of great results for kids who were struggling before they started - many schools are using the program.

But look on the bright side--Just think how bad you would all be at math if you did not play piano!!

I am not good at math - perhaps there's something in the fact that keeping tempo is one of my weaknesses...but it didn't stop me from getting a Bachelor of Music degree, so there's that I guess!

That said, I do believe that listening to classical music while doing math has some merit to it. Only a teacher though...not a scientist, so I won't claim to be an expert on this.

Ouch! If you read that post a certain way, it's kind of insulting. Of course, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way.

BTW, I got an A in my Calculus BC class and an 800 math score on SAT I and SAT II. But I don't think my piano studies had anything to do with that.

I'm excellent with math. But I'm a composer more than a piano teacher... A musician anyhow...

Come on, don't be so sensitive.

I have the highest respect to the music teachers, and that's why I am hanging out here.

Anyway, my apology to any one felt offended.

Carry on please.

I am excellent in math. I was on the math teams in school, took the most advanced classes offered, etc.

However now that I don't use any of that advanced math I'm not sure how much I remember. But that wasn't what you're asking I don't think.

It is okay Monkeys!
I think excellent music teacher would be good in math. Less excellent teacher like me would be not so good in math.

Funny:
I was correcting my student's sample theory test and add up his mistakes up to 10 mistakes. The following week he came back to me and count the mistakes in front of me and it add up to only 9 mistakes.

I laughed and said: Ops, sorry! I am not good in math, that is why I am not a doctor but just a music teacher!

I'm undecided about this.

Obviously there is a link between math and rhythm in music but how much the study of one affects the other is uncertain. I was always good at math and music at school, they were my best subjects by far. But my ex wife who was a brilliant musician found math really difficult.

I do think that the study of music developes the brain in a way that can help with academic work in general. The discipline is good for you too.

Mathematics, counterpoint, agogics and harmony may have similarities.

The abity to turn a musical phrase that can move you to tears seems independent from any of this. That's what I call a musician as opposed to mere musical ability or dexterity.

I brought this up with a math professor once and he told me perhaps the reason piano makes you great at math is because it teaches you patience.. now why some are good at piano and not math, I don't know..

You might find this article interesting.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entert...hs-2307387.html

You all NEED to read this book.

http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567

We'll discuss it afterwards.

This was my finding from my past life as a part-time piano teacher.

My students who did well at school, they also played piano well.
The ones who could not play piano well, they did not do well at school.

I am not sure if we can take inference from here. Again, this was my personal experience.

I loved math and did pretty well.

I failed maths up to grade 9, then did pretty well in grades 10 and 11. BUT...that was because that's when we were allowed to use a calculator! I am useless at mental maths and I still don't know my times tables. I even have to stop and think for a while to times some numbers by 3....terrible...

So it sounds like there might not be a direct colleration between "good at piano" and "good at math".

Although my son is not good at math, he can focus pretty well for a 10-year-old, and I think he gets that from practicing piano 1+ hours a day. Once he sits down to do homework, he can stay for several hours. However, between tasks, he's as big a grass hopper as any 10-year-old would be.

Do you teachers find yourselves good at concentration?