Math Scales

Here's an idea to help musically inclined kids practice their basic arithmetic skills: Practice math sequences like you practice scales. This basic rebranding of "Counting By N" combines a clear metronomic pulse with a drive to perform faster and faster.

Just as we practice musical scales to expose where certain knots are in our fingers so that we can learn tunes more quickly, we can practice the Math Scales to get the basic arithmetic muscles smoothed out so that higher order problems can be solved more quickly.

Usually we practice in the car. While I bang out the pulse on the steering wheel they can run through a 6 scale or a 30 scale. Important variations include starting from non-zero values, as well as doing minus scales.

The grand challenge for the older child is to run through "all" the scales from 2 - 9 in a row for a record time. Actually even for me just the act of speaking out all those numbers is somewhat fatiguing so it takes some practice.

This is infinitely extendable and some ideas for variation that we've only begun to explore include:

• singing the scale
• trying them to different rhythms
• try making chords of the sequence, like what is the 7-scale major chord? Take the 1,3, and 5 note of the 7 sequence and add them together.
• Try different sequences like the squares, cubes, Fibonacci numbers.

Why do this:

• Identify weak spots. You'll quickly find out which steps in the sequence don't come out smoothly and naturally
• Gain fluency. If the child can bang out the N-scale quickly, they can do the arithmetic quickly.
• Helps them jump around the sequence correctly. Perhaps they forget 8 times 7 but remember 6 times 7 is 42 and can quickly fly two "notes" up their 7-scale to 56.
• Reinforce the idea of practice in math, as something that can be improved and not just "I'm good at math" or "I'm bad at math" (See Carol Dweck, Mindset).