Addition & Subtraction
Producer Calls on the Power of Music to Increase Math ScoresIn just four years, producer David Printis has taught math, science and geography to over 35,000 children by invoking the power of music. Now, his company continues to educate with new CD's.Fort Washington, MD – As our country rallies for higher math achievement scores by increasing teachers’ pay and rewarding states for encouraging learning, one music producer has risen to the call to action by producing educational music CD’s that kids, parents, and even teachers are raving about.Launched in October 2001, the series’ first CD, "Multiplication Hip Hop," became an instant hit, and has since become one of the hottest selling independent music CD’s on the East coast. Later titles in the series, "It’s Elementary," "Science and Geography," and the newest one, "Addition and Subtraction" have met with equal success."Kids like the CD's," Printis remarks. "They don’t even realize they’re learning. They just think they’re having fun listening to hip hop."Not only has Printis won the praise of parents, teachers, and school principals, his company has received the interest of university faculties and national media such as The Washington Post and National Public Radio's "Morning Edition.""Kids learn the alphabet by learning a song, they learn to count by putting it in a song. This is just another way of bringing it to life for kids," says Martin L. Johnson, professor of mathematics education at the University of Maryland at College Park.Karen Kunkel, principal at Green Valley Elementary School in a suburb of Washington, D.C., uses "Multiplication Hip Hop" to teach her second graders. She has attributed the CD's with her school’s significant improvement on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, a standardized test given to students in Maryland."The CD's are a good influence," Printis concludes. "The rhythm keeps the kids interested…and learning."