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Title: “PER UNA VOLTA… la musimatica delle tabelline”
Authors: Luciano Guarino and Diana "Crêpe" Crepaz
Website: www.musimaticadelletabelline.it
Abstract: The ease with which it’s possible for children to learn a song text was the starting point to set to music multiplication tables in order to help their memorization.
Thus, eleven songs were composed, one for each number. But music is mathematics too and is heavily influenced by it. For every multiplication table number we tried to have a different musical rhythm, and with every rhythm a different genre.
The style of the songs differs in its ethnicity and historical period, allowing children a glimpse into other cultures and times.
The music goes from tarantella ( Zero per tanto… nulla! m. t. 0 ), to tango, ( Che classe, maestra! m. t. 4, rhythm 4/4 ), from blue-grass ( Per una volta, m. t. 1 ), to baroque ( Tutti per una, una per tutti! m. t. 3, rhythm ¾ ), to capoeira ( Io di più, m. t. 5, rhythm 5/4 ), to rap ( Sì, sono nervoso! m. t. 6, rhythm 6/8 ), to psychedelic rock ( I colori dell’arcobaleno, m. t. 7, rhythm 7/8 )…
The lyrics are nonsense rhymes, short stories, puns, with parts thought for dramatization.
But above all the songs want to be amusing; sneezes, hiccups, hysterics too are set to music…
CD-BOOK
The songs have been published in the CD-Book “PER UNA VOLTA… la musimatica delle tabelline”.
In the recording the choice of acoustic instruments depends on the musical genre, entrusting qualified musicians with different styles. (e.g. tarantella: tammorre, accordion, guitar; blue-grass: banjo, violin, double bass, guitar; minuet: bassoon, guitar).
In the book, containing the lyrics and the score of songs, graphic layout and use of colours have been studied in order to facilitate mnemonic learning, by distinguishing and characterizing every multiplication table.
WORKSHOPS
With this project 3 different workshops have been prepared.
- interactive show: involves the children with their direct participation.
- short workshop: 5 lessons plus 1 open to parents and other students. All the songs on the multiplication tables are taught to the children, getting into the musical language.
- musical: it’s divided in 2 parts: the first one dedicated to the teaching of every song to all participants, the second where specific roles are assigned, soloist voices prepared, formed the choirs and choreographies got ready.
The project, born as auxiliary didactics for primary school, has the characteristic to embrace different contents: language, mathematics, music, acting, physical expression. It has been developed with the advice of primary school teachers and experimented in 2 schools for one year.
The first edition of the Cd-Book has received a contribution as a recognition for the quality by the Meyer Paediatric Hospital Foundation of Florence.
By now the project has involved nearly 9000 children in 220 workshops and public shows.
The method has been useful for children with dyslexia, dyscalculia, Down Syndrome, and it’s been helpful for foreign children in order to learn Italian culture and language.
Confirmation of the aim we proposed was positive especially where our work has been extended by the teachers and where the CD-book has been utilized.
School grade: Second and third grade of the primary school
Topics: Interdisciplinary learning, Internationalization of the educational experience, School inclusion and reduction of the impact of disabilities
Age range of the students : children from 7 to 9
People in charge: Luciano Guarino and Diana Crepaz from SphinX & GorgÒ Culture Association
