Integrating Music Activities into Mathematics Teaching to Enhance Cognitive Skills in Primary Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Source abstract

Globally, different researchers have established music education contributes immensely to cognitive, emotional, and social learning of children in primary school. The integration of music activities with mathematics and cognitive ability development for elementary kids is examined in this comprehensive review of the research. The PRISMA principles were used to select ten peer-reviewed articles, and a four-step screening with the following steps was conducted: identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion. The qualitative and quantitative studies were also considered, and real data of the successful integration of mathematics and music were provided. This study is grounded in Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural perspective on symbolic learning, which together provide a neurological and pedagogical foundation for linking music with mathematical cognition. Findings demonstrate that music-based pedagogies (rhythm, melody, movement, and symbolic notation) positively improve cognitive skills, including patterning, memory, spatial-temporal reasoning and symbolic reasoning, all skills required for mathematical learning (Trinick et al., 2015). Programmes such as Academic Music and MusiMath have been shown to promote positive student achievement in arithmetic and fractions (Azaryahu et al., 2020; An & Tillman, 2015). Teacher portraits and case studies indicated increased student motivation, greater confidence and teacher awareness in interdisciplinary ways of working. The review concludes that in terms of teaching practices, music integration in mathematics offers a compelling, enjoyable, and cognitively enriching approach to primary education and calls for additional research and professional development to further improve the successful implementation of a model.