What Noise Do Numbers Make?

Hidden inside the melodies we love and the instruments we play… are numbers.  

It might sound crazy, but without maths, music as we know it just wouldn’t be possible! The beauty and emotion that music can make us feel, the catchiness of a tune, the way a famous symphony unfolds over time, all of the things that makes music ‘music’… are numbers making noise. 

Levels 5 & 6

Areas of investigation and learning will include how fractions and decimals relate to time signatures, rhythmic subdivision and tempo, as well as experimenting with polyrhythms and accents. Students will also explore how mathematical patterns can be used to create melodies, and the similarities between numerical and musical palindromes.

Levels 7 & 8

Examples of areas for exploration will include patterns and sequences, such as the Fibonacci sequence, and how these influence form and structure in music; the mathematical relationships between pitch, and how these relationships create consonance and dissonance in harmony; and experiment with inversion, retrograde, and transposition in composition and their parallels in geometry.

Levels 9 & 10

Some areas of focus will involve investigating tuning systems like equal temperament and just intonation, exploring their mathematical foundations. Students will also experiment with the golden mean as both a mathematical concept and a basis for aesthetically balanced composition, as well as the links between probability and aleatoric (chance) music.