I am not your typical math teacher. My style completely involves engaging students through real life situations and music. I write lyrics and teach to their mind. The way adults understand things is based on years of experience that most pre-teens have not encountered. However, this age knows all the words to the latest Taylor Swift or LMFAO song- so music has been a huge success in my classroom and my test scores and retention are a direct reflection of this style of teaching. It is not the only thing I do and I do not yet have a song for every concept- but I am working on it.
I firmly believe that you have to have the structure, classroom management, and buy in from the kids to incorporate music in the classroom. If you have passion- they will follow. Set it up right and it will end up right.