Universal BEATS: Universal BioMusic Education Achievement Tier in Science

UNCG and NCSU are developing instructional resources for grades-2–5 students that infuse cutting-edge content from the emerging field of biomusic into standards-based elementary science and music curricula. The approach uses the musical sounds of nature to help students learn concepts in biology, physical science, and anthropology. Curriculum is undergoing beta-testing across North Carolina in diverse school settings.

Project Evaluator
Amy Germuth
Full Description

Universal BEATS is a DRK12 exploratory project that engages a wider range of elementary school students more deeply in science through innovatively infusing concepts and methods from an emerging scientific field, BioMusic, into standards-based elementary science and music curricula. In aiming at two of the three “Grand Challenges” laid out by NSF 06-593: Discovery Research K-12—“elementary grades science” and “cutting-edge STEM content in K-12 classrooms”—Universal BEATS simultaneously leverages and extends the impact of an NSF-funded informal science exhibition, Wild Music, and an NSF-funded model Research Experiences for Teachers site. Developed by the Music Research Institute (MRI) at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in collaboration with North Carolina State University‘s Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education and the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology, and Science’s Kenan Fellows Program (KFP), Universal BEATS enables grades 2-5 students to explore the emerging interdisciplinary field of BioMusic. The project uses music and natural sound to explore and develop instructional resources in biodiversity, human development, neurophysiology, human evolution, cultural diversity, and the physics of sound. The goal is to provide a rich, interdisciplinary educational environment in which teachers, in partnership with leading scientists in BioMusic and a team of science and music educators, develop, pilot and refine standards-based curricula that introduce elementary-aged students to the deep roots of human music.

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