A lot has happened since I last published a blog post. Beautiful Lily Kate joined our family in October, and we moved to our brand new home just one week later.
It has taken some time but we have settled in and now that I have consistent daycare, I am able to jump back in to growing Music Therapy Kids and sharing songs with you!
I am super excited for what 2017 will bring.
Today’s song is one I’ve been singing for quite some time, and it is actually part of a series that I hope to publish as a songbook in the future. One of my students has been learning the multiplication table. She has access to a calculator and understands the processes behind skip counting and multiplication, but her team feels that quicker recall of those math facts will help as she is working through more complex word problems.
Because this student has an excellent propensity to retain information in musical context, it was only natural that I assist in writing songs to help her skip count and multiply.
The first song we worked on was Count By 3s. We have since gone on to learn 4s, 6s, 7s, 8s and now 9s. But this is where it all started. You’ll notice that I used a 3/4 time signature. It just seems to fit.
Tips & Tricks
Repeat often. I can’t stress this enough. If your child retains information embedded in music then you will want to create frequent opportunities for this process to occur.
Make it a multi-sensory experience. With my student we used a visual component with the numbers in front of her when she is first beginning to learn. Also, I add a tactile component by having her write the numbers as we go (first with a template and then by rote).
Lyrics
Count by 3s. We’ll count by 3s.
You can do it with ease. We’ll count by 3s.
3 6 9
12 15 18
21 24 27
30 33 36
We’ll count by 3s. We’ll Count by 3s.
Once the skip counting is mastered, just change the words:
We’ll multiply by 3s. We’ll multiply by 3s.
You can do it with ease. We’ll multiply by 3s.
1 times 3 is 3
2 times 3 is 6
3 times 3 is 9
etc….
We’ll multiply by 3s. We’ll multiply by 3s.
When your student has mastered both versions, mix up the order of the multiplication facts.
And that’s it. I have had success with this song and I hope you will too.
Til Next Time,
Mary
Count By 3's
Want a few ready-to-use pediatric session materials?
If you’re building up your music therapy toolbox, I also have a free 3-Song Pediatric Session Pack you can download and use right away.
It includes simple, low-prep songs and supports designed for music therapists working with children — perfect for days when you want something practical, structured, and easy to pull into a session.
