Home People Articles Links Contact

PianoMath^®

About us

The PianoMath project started out with a simple and bold assertion -

Teach children to play the piano and they’ll do better in math

We knew that this was true in theory because of the groundbreaking work done by Gordon Shaw and his associates at UC Irvine in the early 90s and the many studies that followed. The close neurological link between how our brains process musical and mathematical concepts has by now been established and accepted.

(See relevant research papers in the Articles/Books section below)

But knowing that something is true doesn’t necessarily make it happen. What was missing was a practical curriculum that could be easily acquired by math and music teachers alike, a set of activities that would simultaneously improve both math conception and musical skills.

One obvious hurdle was the fact that very few music teachers feel comfortable with math, and likewise, most math teachers don’t know enough about music to be able to incorporate it into their classroom.

Our solution was to develop a 3-hour workshop that uses interactive software, and provides classroom teachers with all the fundamentals of music necessary for delivering math-music activities in their classroom. We also developed an interactive teaching tool that helped music teachers to incorporate math concepts into their music classes.

The big question was - would it work?

Fast forward to 2007

Imagine an entire elementary school becoming musically literate. Imagine the math teachers using keyboards and music worksheets to teach mathematical concepts, and the music teacher presiding over a computerized keyboard lab using mathematical concepts to teach reading and playing music.

Sounds far fetched?

Well, for the past two years the Washington Elementary School in Lorain Ohio, near Cleveland has been doing just that, and in the process becoming the first Math-Through-Music Magnet school. This is the real-life environment in which our PianoMath concepts are being developed, refined, implemented, and tested.

But is music the best way to improve math skills?

It certainly isn’t the only way, and probably not even the best. But here is why it works. Kids are naturally drawn to music. It is easy to motivate them to quickly excel in playing computerized instruments. As all educators know, motivation and accomplishment in one field quickly carries over to all the other fields.

In an environment in which math and music teachers coordinate their efforts, often participating in each other's classes, it is not surprising to find a greatly improved attitude towards mathematics in general. Then there is the extra benefit of using ears, hands, and feet to solve mathematical problems through music, integrating new mathematical concepts through the body as well as through the mind.

As the project nears the end of its second year we are monitoring and assessing its impact on test scores and on the general attitudes and culture in the school. The surveys so far indicate a marked improvement in students' attitudes, behavior, and comprehension.

But why piano?

Of all musical instruments, the piano is uniquely suited to be the entry-level instrument for linking music and mathematics. Firstly, it is a machine. It produces sound in an easy and predictable manner. Press a key and you produce the same pitch regardless of your level of expertise.

Secondly, its layout can easily be related to a number line and is perfectly logical. Point to any note C, and all other Cs will look the same way relative to the other keys.

And lastly, a keyboard can be hooked up to a computer, turning it into an interactive device, something much harder to do with a violin or a recorder.

A bit of history

In 2002 Peter Taussig launched PianoKids^® - Piano Lessons for the Computer age, a new type of piano lesson, with an original curriculum that used computers and a process of problem solving to teach young children music literacy and keyboard skills. From its inception PianoKids emphasized mathematical thinking. It evolved into a network of experimental teaching labs in western Massachusetts which attracts over 100 students ages 6-9 each year.

Out of this innovative music program eventually grew a second, math-centered, music curriculum, specifically designed for elementary schools.

In 2007 Taussig teamed up with Dr. Paul Goldenberg from the Educational Development Center (EDC) in Newton, Massachusetts, to further develop and implement PianoMath as a pilot project in an elementary school environment.

The Math and Music Magnet School project at the Washington Elementary School in Lorain, OH is the result of this collaboration.

The PianoMath Team

Peter Taussig

Director, PianoKids, creator of PianoMath, consultant at EDC

Before settling in the United States Peter Taussig was one of Canada's best known concert pianists and educators, recording over 200 broadcasts for the CBC and performing with such conductors as Sir Andrew Davis, John Eliot Gardner, and Erich Kunzel. As a music educator he was on the faculties of the University of Western Ontario, and Ryerson University in Toronto, where he taught electronic music. teachertraining

In the 1990s he was appointed chief technology consultant for the Royal Conservatory of Music, one of the largest music networks in the world. It was here that he first developed the concepts that lead to the PianoKids method, and later the PianoMath curriculum that uses music as a vehicle for comprehending math concepts. He continued his work at the Yamaha Corporation in New York, where he developed new recording techniques for handicapped pianists. In 2002 he established the PianoKids research center in Lenox Massachusetts where he currently lives.

Peter training elementary school teachers in PianoMath

More about Peter Taussig

E. Paul Goldenberg

Distinguished Scholar, Mathematics Learning and Teaching at EDC

Dr. E. Paul Goldenberg is one of the most original and influential math curriculum developers. Over his many years at EDC he has developed a reputation as a crusader for changing the content and perception of math in our schools and society at large.

(Paul working with students at a Math and Music lab)

Goldenberg has taught math with his signature wit and wisdom from second-grade through high school and university classrooms. He joined EDC in 1986 to develop curricula and research the use of software tools; two decades later, he remains energized by his work and inspired by the students and teachers he meets. His team recently completed the Think Math! a comprehensive K–5 curriculum, a multi-year NSF-funded program published by Harcourt School Publishers. Think Math and PianoMath both express Paul's continued focus on developing groundbreaking ideas to “market and sell intellectual curiosity.”

More on E. Paul Goldenberg

The Leadership Team at Washington Elementary

The leadership team of the Washington Elementary Math and Music Magnet School in Lorain Ohio is responsible for implementing, testing, and co-developing the math-and-music curriculum. They are seen here at a summer training (2008) with PianoMath originator Peter Taussig (left) and his co-author Dr. Paul Goldenberg (right).

The team has developed special math labs where students engage in hands-on activities, including music on electronic keyboards and other math-music activities.

The team members comprise of both math and music teachers and are also responsible for training the other classroom teachers at the school. The music aspect of PianoMath comprises of an interactive music computer lab with 28-keyboard workstations for learning music literacy and piano skills with math concepts.

Marcia Dudziak - Site coordinator
Carrie Woodie - Music lab teacher
Amanda Lugar - Math resource teacher
Patti Renner - Math resource teacher
Lisa Muglich - Math resource teacher

Classroom teachers learning music basics

For more information about the Math and Music project at Washington Elementary go to the school's Wiki resource site