When you think about your future—your profession, your hobbies, your interests—do you ever think about how mathematics will play a role? Do you ever think about how often people use math in their daily life, apart from purchasing goods and paying bills? In this activity you’ll find out how musicians, like the hip-hop duo DobleFlo, use math in music.

2 Instructions

First, you’ll watch a video to learn about how Manny Dominguez and Luis Lopez started DobleFlo and how they use math in producing hip-hop music. At the end of the video, Manny and Luis set up a music-related algebra challenge. You will work with a partner to solve the challenge.

Record your name(s).

3 What You Will Learn

After you’ve finished this activity, you will know:

Some of the ways math is used in music and beyond;
How to develop a strategy and create a model for problem solving;
How to use rates, ratios, and proportions to solve problems (proportional reasoning); and
How to use algebraic concepts and reasoning to calculate beats per minute.

Vocabulary

Read these words and their definitions. When you see them, you may click on them to read the definition again.

Per
Tempo
BPM
Rate

4 Math in Music

Think for a moment about the music you like to listen to. What does the music mean to you? Have you ever really thought about what it takes to create that music? Discuss these questions with your partner, then jot down your answers in the box below. Don’t forget to save your work!

What is your favorite genre of music (e.g., jazz, hip-hop, pop, rock, classical, etc.)? Why?
Do you play a musical instrument? If so, describe how math can be helpful in mastering music.
How do you think mathematics might be used in music?

5 Meet DobleFlo: Watch It!

Math in Music: Introduction

Video: 5m 02s

This video features musicians Manny Dominguez and Luis Lopez from Brooklyn, NY, who have formed a hip-hop duo named DobleFlo. Click “View” on the left to watch the video. You may want to watch the video multiple times before answering the questions below.

Write down some of the different ways that Manny and Luis use math in their music.
Describe the challenge that Manny and Luis posed to the students in the video.

6 The Challenge

In the video you just watched, Manny and Luis featured a sample of music where the tempo of the drum track didn’t match the tempo of the instrumental sample.

The tempo, or speed, is measured in beats per minute (BPM). Since the drum beat is programmed electronically, it is possible to use the computer to speed up or slow down this beat to match the instrumental sample. In order to correctly match the drum beat to the sample, it is necessary to figure out the tempo of the sample. DobleFlo challenged the students in the video to calculate the BPM of the instrumental sample to determine the correct tempo for the music sample.

7 Solving the Challenge

Math in Music: Take the Challenge

Document

Math in Music: Take the Challenge

Interactive

Now it’s your turn to solve the challenge. First, click “View” on the left to open the Math in Music: Take the Challenge handout. Print out the handout.

Next, click “View” below to explore the Take the Challenge interactive. Work with your partner to complete the handout as you work through the activity.

8 Check Your Answer: Watch It!

Math in Music: See How the Teams Solved the Challenge

Video: 4m 11s

Observe the strategies the teams used in the video. Are they similar or different from the strategy you used? Explain.

9 Try Other Challenges

Math in Music: Try Other Music Challenges

Document

Math in Music: Try Other Music Challenges

Interactive

Now that you get how this works, try another challenge. This time, you get to pick your own music to mix. This next activity will provide you with another opportunity to match the tempo of an electronic drum to the tempo of the instrumental sample. Click “View” on the left to open the Math in Music: Try Other Music Challenges handout. Print out the handout.

Next, click “View” below to explore the Math in Music: Try Other Music Challenges interactive. Work with your partner to complete the handout as you work through the activity.

10 Final Assignment

Math in Music Reflection

Document

Reflection: Now take the time to reflect on this activity and record your thoughts. Click “View” on the left to download the Reflection handout. Print out the handout.

Instructions

Discuss the questions on the handout with your partner. Then, answer the questions on your own. Be ready to present your conclusions for a classroom discussion.

Credits

Screen 2:

Instructions (Image)
© 2011 THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

Screen 4:

Math in Music (Image)
© 2011 THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

Screen 5:

Math in Music: Introduction (Video)
© 2011 THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

Screen 6:

The Setup (Image)
© 2011 THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

Screen 7:

Screen 8:

Math in Music: See How the Teams Solved the Challenge (Video)
© 2011 THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

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Math in Music

Activity for Grades 7-10

Teachers' Domain, Math in Music, published February 3, 2011, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/GTM11.math.algebra.var.splmathmus/

Media Type:
Self-paced Lesson

Resource Produced by:

Collection Developed by:

Collection Credits

Collection Funded by:

After learning how the hip-hop duo DobleFlo uses math in music production, students are challenged to match different music samples by calculating their tempos in terms of beats per minute. Algebra concepts explored include: rates, ratios, and proportions; linear relationships; algebraic and numeric expressions and equations.

For Teachers

This is a student-directed lesson. Students will complete the lesson online, then print a summary of their notes and interactive activity results. Students can use this printout for reference when completing the final writing assignment offline.

Download and print the Math in Music--Teacher's Guide for essential background information and suggestions for ways to support the lesson. Transcripts may also be helpful for students who need additional support.

Math in Music: Introduction Transcript

Math in Music: See How the Teams Solved the Challenge Transcript

Technical notes

Students need to be signed into their own account in order to save their work in the lesson.
Students must save each screen of the lesson before moving on to the next screen. Once they have saved a screen, they cannot go back to change their work. Saved work can be printed and submitted to the teacher as a formative assessment. Final assignments must be written outside of the lesson and submitted separately.
Students are able to start over or repeat a lesson. If they do, their saved work will be deleted and a new record will be started.