Writing Proficiency Program

Practice 5: Comparison and Contrast(You, Present tense)

Music and Mathematics

Do you know that Music and Mathematics are related? Are you aware that there

are research studies about improvement in Math scores because of exposure to the

music of Mozart? Have you read about the article that children excel academically

when they are also taking piano lessons? There are so many resources available today

about this phenomenon. You can check the Internet for the various websites that

promote Music with Math such as the Mozart Effect. There are also books on

Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Tower that carry this subject. Even Cambridge

University Press has a book about Music and Math.

Music, traditionally connects with emotions, is a celebration of the soul. Through

the melodies, the sentiments, joys, and even grief are expressed. Musical instruments

are also used as accompaniment to human voice to enhance the quality of the sound.

Once you hear a melancholic tune, it immediately stirs you. It has healing qualities for

your weariness. The sounds have symbols and they are called notes. For each sound

emitted, there is an equivalent note. If you are going to study how to play the piano,

you will have to learn notes, staffs, measurements, octaves, and bars. Thus, you can

be creative if you can manipulate the arrangement of notes in order to produce a

pleasing harmony. There are also standard rules that you have to follow to produce the

classical form of music. If you are able to master these rules and develop an ear for Page 1 of 3

the right sounds, you can also become adventurous to develop your own style. You

can diverge from traditional musical forms and venture into jazz or rhythm and blues.

Math, like Music, requires precision. It involves calculations, computations, and

estimations. There are also rules to follow to perform mathematical operations. There

is even a mnemonic strategy, My Dear Aunt Sally, to remind you that multiplication

should be done first before division then addition before subtraction (MDAS). Math is

a mental activity and uses symbols such as numbers and algebraic expressions. The

complexity of math today includes motion, space, and time dimensions. One good

thing about math is that it always yields one answer. There may be various solutions

but as long as they are logical and complies with the mathematical rules, the final

answer is acceptable. In most cases, only one final answer will come out despite the

many ways of solving it. Math, similar to Music, uses reasoning. There is a pattern to

follow and the given rules are guide to derive the final answer. While in music you

can diverge, in math you converge. You always get one final answer for each

equation.

So, do you also want to improve your mathematical skills? Try listening to the

music of Mozart. Even Howard Gardner, the author of Theory of Multiple

Intelligences, promotes the music of Mozart in his book, The Disciplined Mind. There

are also studies about an improvement in spatial reasoning among laboratory rats and

humans. You can even become the next generation genius like Albert Einstein of the

20th century. In addition, you can become a famous mathematician and musician.

Better yet, a Nobel laureate!

Shoot for the moon... even if you miss, you'll be among the stars.- Bits and Pieces (Singapore)

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Gandhi

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555 words

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