The Use of Mathematics Concepts to Memorize Musical Note and Rest Duration

Abstract

Recently, there have been issues related to difficulties in understanding the values of musical notes and rests. A quasi-experimental study involving 60 pupils from a primary school was conducted. The participants were assigned into two groups of 30 pupils each. The treatment group received an intervention based on mathematical concepts while the control group received conventional instruction over a period of 11 weeks. This study was carried out to examine whether there were significant differences in pupils’ mastery of musical note values and rests, as well as in their levels of motivation between the treatment and control groups. The instruments used were tests and modified questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that the treatment group achieved a significantly higher adjusted post-test mean (M = 91.20, SE = 3.12) than the control group (M = 63.33, SE = 3.12), F (1, 60) = 32.950, p < .001, partial ?² = .379, indicating a large effect of the intervention on mastery. The intervention produced a clear and meaningful improvement in pupils’ confidence while its effects on motivational interest and perceived usefulness were positive but not statistically significant. Future work should lengthen the exposure to target interest and perceived usefulness.