Eye On Education: Chelmsford Students Make Math Music Videos
CHELMSFORD (CBS) -- Chelmsford Middle School students are getting a lesson in math, girl power, and music video production all in one afternoon.
"I love math so much, acting, being silly, singing, and I think this is a combination of everything," said sixth grader Sachi Badola.
Her classmate, Lyla El-Gamel, agreed, saying, "I like math a lot and I like making music videos."
The students recorded a cover of Meghan Trainor's pop hit "All About That Bass."
The new title is "Girls Know All About That Math" and its hook is just as catchy. This is the sixth music video in a series created by the school's Math and Science Coordinator Matthew Beyranevand.
"Everybody is learning math and they are learning about it in a fun way," he told WBZ. "The goal of making these math music videos is to really increase the students' interest and engagement in mathematics."
And it's not just the kids getting in on the fun. High school math teacher, Dan Williams, makes appearances in all of the videos under his on-screen alias of "Rhombus The Rapper."
Teachers, students, and staff all star in the videos and help write the cover songs. The group has transformed "What Does the Fox Say?" into "What Is The Value of Pi?" and "Gangnam Style" into the trigonometry anthem "SOH COH TOA Style."
"By increasing their interest...it actually leads to more conceptual understanding of the topics and makes them better mathematicians," Beyranevand says.
The videos are then shared on a public access show, online, and in the class.
"I love bringing this into the classroom as a tool to help people get more excited about the topic of math," Williams said.
For sixth grader Danielle Mello, it's just plain fun. She told us the songs are, "Really relatable because I do love math."
And these girls hope the new song's message will encourage their classmates to get just as excited about a subject they already love.
"Maybe they think it's too hard, because sometimes it is, but you just have to try," says fifth grader Georgia Horan.
For more information, visit the Math with Matthew website.