If you walked past the Grade 6B classroom last month, you might have wondered whether you had accidentally stepped into a recording studio instead of a math lesson. Humming, rapping, singing, beat-making, and even dancing spilled into the hallway as students took on one of the most joyful assignments of the year: writing and performing a song to teach how to solve a story problem involving the area or perimeter of any polygon.
The project began with an example performance from me – a parody of the popular Kpop hit Golden by Huntr/x, rewritten to teach how to find the area and perimeter of a rectangle. The moment the final note faded, the room erupted with excitement. Suddenly, every student wanted to be a songwriter, a performer, a mathematician, and a music producer all at once.
Students were given the freedom to choose their creative path. They could parody a well known song, write an original math poem or haiku, or compose their own tune using musicmaking tools such as Chrome Music Lab, Incredibox, or BeepBox. What followed was a week unlike any other.
Math periods transformed into vibrant creative sessions. Some students experimented with building their own beats; others became parody lyricists, layering clever math explanations over the melodies of familiar songs. If you had stepped into our classroom, you might have recognized tunes like Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling, Phil Wickham’s Battle Belongs, Forrest Frank’s Your Way’s Better, or Pharrell Williams’ Happy … all reimagined with the Grade 6B’s signature math twist.
One group even elevated their performance into a full symphonic experience, pulling out their band instruments – clarinets and saxophones – to play the melody of Battle Belongs as they launched into their maththemed lyrics. The room was filled with laughter, rhythm, courage, creativity, and applause as students blended math with music in ways that were both impressive and unforgettable.
By performance week, every group had stepped onto our “stage” with confidence, as they put on brave faces to mask their nerves! The 6Bs poured their heart and soul into their work. They didn’t just complete an assignment – they created art. They taught math. They performed with real guts. They supported one another. I was deeply moved watching my students push past their comfort zones to share their creations. This assignment blurred the line between subject areas as the students discovered that learning can be expressive, joyful, and deeply personal.
I could not be more proud of my Grade 6s – for their bravery, their voices, their dance moves, and the way they embraced this challenge with such overwhelming enthusiasm and heart. This week reminded all of us that math is not just something you solve. Sometimes, it’s something you sing.