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Professor
Lesser can do conference/banquet keynotes, assemblies, minicourses/workshops,
residencies, etc. Audiences have
ranged from upper elementary school to university level or even general
audiences. Presentations (see left-hand sidebar) have been tailored for
varied situations and audiences, including:
·
Math/science
groups
·
University
faculty
·
Schoolteacher
professional development
·
Inspirational
talks/keynotes
·
Classrooms/conferences
Some
national opening keynotes were for university mathematicians (e.g., MAA
MathFest 2008), while others were for K-12 math teachers (e.g., 2009 NCTM
regional in Nashville). Most
presentations can be described as a 30-90 minute version of one or a combination
of two of the following:
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Click HERE
for a list of recent presentations! Click
HERE to see what others say about Lesser’s presentations!
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1.) “Mathemusician Concert” – a live full-length progression of songs with a
strong mathematical theme woven together with educational and entertaining between-song
patter and brief demos; some songs can be done as sing-alongs, depending on
situation; setting has varied from classroom to auditorium stage; usually
accompanied by visuals (slides) and acoustic guitar 2.) “Formula for a Hit: Using Songs to Learn Mathematics and
Statistics” motivates a variety of
mathematics/statistics content, history and process using both new and
familiar songs and raps, with audience participation gently encouraged; uses
songs for generating descriptive statistics, conducting hypothesis tests,
analyzing lyrics (for specific terms and global themes), analyzing data,
song-based problem solving and critical thinking, etc.; includes "how
to" tips for teachers of all levels of musicianship; parallels and
overlap between the process of songwriting and doing mathematics can also be
explored in varying degrees; good for "creativity" or
"motivational" presentations 3.) “Exploring Connections Between Mathematics and Music” explores (with historical context going back to
Pythagoras) a variety of examples, such as: how a string's or chime's pitch
varies with its length, how the sound of two notes relates to the ratio of
their frequencies, how patterns generate and illuminate rhythms and sequences
of notes and chords, how mathematical thinking guides the building (and even
playing of) musical instruments and the composition and analysis of music,
how transformations of a melody parallel transformations in mathematics,
etc.; accessible to audiences with varying levels of prior musicianship and
mathematical knowledge 4.) “Workshop: Writing Content-Based Songs/Raps/Poetry” is adaptable for many age ranges as a fun,
accessible way for even beginners to participate in the creative process of
writing (as modeled and facilitated by someone who has published mathematical
and nonmathematical songs, raps and poems) and participants will
create one or more educational content-based songs, jingles, poems or raps by
the time the workshop ends, leaving them with not only a tangible creative
product to motivate or remember academic content of interest, but also a
memorable demonstration of how to balance left- and right- brain thinking
that will serve them well in any problem solving environment; connects to
language arts, music education, and multiple intelligences! |
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Resources
& Bibliography | Lyrics
of Greatest LESSER hits | Cool Math &
Music Quotes |
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