Two classes of third grade students (n=56) from an elementary school located on the
western coast of the United States participated in this research study. A pretest-posttest control
group design was utilized to examine changes between two groups of participating students’ in
mathematics achievement and dispositions, including beliefs about success, attitude, confidence,
motivation, and usefulness. The students in the music group received music-mathematics
integrated lessons, while the students in the control group received traditional lecture and
textbook based mathematics instruction. Analysis of the results demonstrated that despite
statistically equivalent pretest scores prior to the intervention, after the intervention the music
group students had statistically significantly higher positive mathematics dispositions scores than
their non-music group peers. These findings provide empirical evidence that there are advantages
to teachers utilizing music-themed activities as a context for offering students the opportunity to
learn mathematics in a challenging yet enjoyable learning environment