LaMar Queen knows what it's like to teach algebra to kids who wonder if they'll ever use it in the "real world."
Their eyes glaze over, they rest their heads on their desks — anything to avoid learning the formulas needed to master pre-algebra and beyond.
To pique their interest in math, the 25-year-old Queen began composing rap songs that included equations such as the quadratic formula for his students at Los Angeles Academy Middle School, a South L.A. school that is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Sure enough, the kids who listened to his songs began to memorize math formulas and rules, improving their marks in his class.
In the "Quadratic Formulove Song," Queen raps: "You know I got a new habit/I can't stop graphing quadratics/You know I have other homework, but the vertex is calling me/Negative B over 2A/and I can tell you what's next/Find the X intercepts..."
Josefa Martinez, a seventh-grader formerly enrolled at L.A. Academy, said Queen helped make math interesting to her.
"The other math teacher was really dry," she said.
By setting math equations to music, however, Queen helped Josefa improve her marks in arithmetic. When Josefa got stuck on one of Queen's math tests, she recalled his song "PEMDAS," which is about the order of operations in math. PEMDAS stands for "Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally" and correlates with, "Parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division, and addition and subtraction."
"I sang the song in my head during my test," Josefa said.
Inspired by the progress of his students, Queen recorded so many songs and videos about math that he had enough material for an album and DVD. He celebrated his "Mind of a Mathman" release party Dec. 12 at Horace Mann Middle School in South Los Angeles.
The accomplishment is just the latest Queen has achieved since his math-rap career began about two years ago. He has already received two awards for his efforts to teach kids through music — the Videos in the Classroom Award and the Digital Voice Award.
Olga Maye, department chair of math at Horace Mann, said she brought Queen to her school in the spring and again in December for his album release party because she saw the positive impact his music had on students.
"They see the connection between math and music as something positive," Maye said. "You give them these songs, and they memorize them. They don't even know they're learning math."
A reporter for the L.A. Watts Times spoke further with Queen about his success with students, musical influences, and new company Music Notes, through which he plans to work with other educators to record music about a variety of subject matters.
LAWT: When did you write your first math rap song?
LQ: The first song was during my first year of teaching in 2007. I wrote 'Slope Intercept' after my class challenged me to write a song because they say I look like Kanye West, and they didn't think I could rap. I told them I could. I've been rapping since I was in middle school. They were just amazed by 'Slope Intercept' and kept singing it every day and never forgot the formula. They kept asking me to do more and more songs, so I kept writing whenever I had a song that matched where we were in the textbook.
LAWT: Talk about the impact your music has had on students.
LQ: Kids who were really turned off, who'd come to class not caring about anything, opened their eyes. I had a student memorize all the songs. Kids forget stuff so easily. They don't want to go home and study their notes, but the kids remember these songs instantly. All the songs are curriculum-based. They learn all they need to know in the song.
LAWT: Why did you decide to start your company Music Notes?
LQ: Music Notes was created around three months ago to provide teachers who want to make music and videos but don't have the resources to get into a studio. It will also give students an opportunity to learn about producing, video editing and directing. We want the company to be sort of like a program where kids can learn about the music industry.
LAWT: Who did the production on your album?
LQ: Jamal Lee, my cousin, did half of the production, and Simeon Lagget, my friend, produced half. We did everything ourselves.
LAWT: The music is quite good. To be honest, I was expecting something cheesy when I heard about a teacher doing math-rap.
LQ: Everybody expects it be cheesy, but when they hear it, they say, 'I would listen to this in my car.' When they say that, it really makes me happy.
LAWT: How are you publicizing your music?
LQ: Right now, it's just word of mouth and through Facebook. Also, LAUSD wants to air some of the videos on their TV station.
LAWT: Do you want to branch out to general rap or stick to educational rap?
LQ: I've decided that I'm gonna stick to this. I do still write other music here and there, but I want to stick to the educational rap. Everything I've done is very positive music. I wouldn't want a parent saying I've made any music that contradicts all the other music I've been doing.
LAWT: Who are your musical influences?
LQ: Nas is my favorite rapper. He got me into hip-hop. I like Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, Jay-Z, Ludacris ... I like rappers that are very lyrical.
For more information on LaMar Queen's music, visit www.musicnotesonline.com.
Nadra Kareem is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photos courtesy of LaMar Queen.
Read more stories from the L.A. Watts Times »
Leave a comment