07-09-2012, 02:32 AM
(07-08-2012, 12:10 PM)MongoJerry Wrote: I'm convinced that the reason why fractions were so intuitive to me compared to most of my classmates when the subject came up in math classes was the fact that I had a much bigger musical background from playing the piano, singing in choirs since I was 6, and later band. Whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, triplets, 4/4 time, 3/4 time, 2/4 time, cut (1/2) time, 6/8 time, 6/4 time, 2/3 time... music uses fractions all over the place. Plus, you get not just an intellectual feel but also a visceral feel of the fractions from the music.
That's interesting. I practiced with an instrument (cornet) in the 5th grade, and had mandatory music classes in middle school. I don't recall well enough to say whether it influenced learning fractions, but I did develop a fairly strong grasp of fractions, as well as converting them across to percentages and decimals.
That's interesting.
