Nationwide — Award-winning middle school teacher Keziah Finney and her husband, James, are the creators of Lyrical Math, an innovative curriculum that connects hip-hop culture with math. It is a research-based and data-proven math intervention program that builds confidence and mastery for students.

Based in Wilmington, Delaware, Mrs. Finney is a Certified Mathematics and Science Teacher with 20+ years of teaching experience. In addition to being an educator, she is also a hip-hop artist who uses her original music in the classroom.

How she came up with the idea

Mrs. Finney noticed early on in her teaching career how quickly students memorized and recited hip-hop songs throughout the school day. While her students walked in the hallways, socialized in the school cafeteria, or completed classwork, she would find many of them rapping popular hip-hop songs or even creating their own lyrics.

Eager to have her students engaged in the classroom as well as increase their level of comprehension, Mrs. Finney started creating hip-hop lyrics that explained the math content she was hired to teach. When she shared the lesson lyrically, her students lit up! Their excitement for learning increased, and so did their level of comprehension.

Her husband, James, comments, “Through the use of our highly engaging videos, music, scripted teacher guidebook, and one-of-a-kind student workbook, Lyrical Math provides the necessary resources for anyone, certified teacher or not, to teach math effectively.”

Other schools and teachers are also using Lyrical Math

Mrs. Finney’s Lyrical Math program is already being used by other educators in her state. For example, the program has been recently approved for use at Charter School of New Castle (CSNC) by its Elementary School Principal and the Elementary Executive Director.

Ms. Brittani Christian, a 3rd-grade teacher at that school, is already trailblazing her way to bringing excitement into the classroom by using Lyrical Math in her classroom. After just one professional development session, she is off to an amazing start! Watch the video on YouTube here https://youtu.be/ODIDqXcTu6s.

For more details about Lyrical Math, please visit the official website at LyricalMath.com.