Beenie Man Joins Dancehall Campaign To Teach Children Math
Beenie Man is among several artists who will be voicing Dancehall songs about Mathematics, aimed at helping primary school students to master their multiplication tables.
The project is the brainchild of acclaimed songwriter and producer Mikey Bennett, and is an extension of the Dancehall-centric Science Genius Jamaica competition for high schools.
The Science Genius operatives made a post on their Instagram page recently of Beenie Man in studio deejaying “his two-times table” after declaring that Mathematics was not his best subject in school.
“We are bursting with excitement about this project with the legendary genius Mikie Bennett!!!!! The multiplication tables to music. So many artistes are on board and having much fun in studio. All this for the children of Jamaica! Can’t wait to share the entire project, but for now here is a sneak peek with the one and only @kingbeenieman ! The vibe is insane 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Watch this space!” they noted.
In another follow-up post, they shared a video of singer Tamo J, belting out the “nine-times” table, as well as the written words to the song.
“We can’t keep the excitement to ourselves, so here is another sneak peek into the creation of this LOVE PROJECT for the children of Jamaica. The incredibly talented @tamojofficial singing the 9 times tables and building a BIG VIBE in studio with the greats @graftonmiki @qraigvoicemail and @skygrassja!!!! Sing along! We will soon be coming to a school near you!
“Een a dancehall style. When you know your times tables you will be able to calculate and count any amount,” the post added.
Mathematics has, historically, been the single most problematic subject for Jamaican students, which has resulted in the Jamaican Ministry of Education undertaking numerous initiatives to address the poor performance, since the 1980s. Nevertheless, despite these interventions, the performance of students, particularly in CSEC Mathematics, continues to be below expectations.
Bennett, who is the chief mentor and judge for the Science Genius Jamaica competition for high schools, has long stated that using Dancehall music to make songs about various topics in school curricula, can be an effective teaching-learning tool and a catalyst to improved learning and grasping of concepts for various subjects.
According to him, based on his experience, he was confident in Dancehall as a teaching tool, as it was an effective formula to help in Mathematics, English, in Literature and in Science, as it would “bring everything together”.
Bennett, who is also part of a special team commissioned to use music to rehabilitate inmates at the island’s maximum-security prisons, has also pointed to instances in which teachers used Dancehall music to teach Science concepts “and the grades just increased exponentially”.
Bennett, who is a graduate of West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University) has composed and produced music for international artistes such as Shabba Ranks, Maxi Priest, Ziggy Marley, Dennis Brown, UB40, Cocoa Tea and Admiral Bailey.
The song-writing coach and teacher has also explained that because youngsters tend to “know every popular Dancehall song”, it was imperative that the genre be used as a teaching aid as it “speaks to them in an idiom that they enjoy”, resulting in them wanting to learn and identify with it.
As for the Science Genius Jamaica competition, at the time of its initial launch in Jamaica, it was described as being aimed at using Dancehall music to inspire the confidence of students, by using music and culture to get them more enthused about learning, and to bring Science subjects to life for students and teachers in a ‘Dancehall clash’ competition.
The conceptualizers of the competition had also noted that its goal was to connect youth culture with education in order to ensure that learning the rigorous content of mathematics and science becomes easier for students.