In January, Kensington Palace stated that Kate Middleton had undergone a “planned abdominal surgery.” They assured people the surgery was successful, and the princess needed some time to recover. Prince William also took a short break from his duties to spend time with his family.

The first time Kate was seen in public after the surgery was in March. She wore sunglasses and was sitting in the car with her mother, Carole Middleton. Her face was turned away from the camera.

On Mother’s Day, a photo of Kate Middleton and her three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—was shared on social media. This is when things got quite dramatic as followers noticed the photo was edited or even AI-generated. Kate indeed confirmed the rumors and said she occasionally experimented with editing.

Since people weren’t getting any new information about Kate’s disappearance, some started speculating that it was caused by Prince William’s alleged affair with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley. These rumors started back in 2019.

Even though Kate was later photographed several times, some people were convinced that it wasn’t actually her. They thought that the royal family was using body doubles instead. In March, Kate and William were seen at the Windsor Farm Shop near their home, appearing happy and relaxed.

Eventually, when the rumors didn’t let up, Kate Middleton released a video sharing she had a brush with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. The video was posted on March 22nd, two months after her abdominal surgery. We wish her a speedy recovery!

Researchers have long suspected that music can enhance the learning experience. This study reinforces the idea of incorporating music into math lessons, which can have a transformative impact.

By integrating music into math lessons, educators have discovered a powerful technique for enhancing children’s skills. One common approach involves rhythmic clapping to songs, learning numbers, and equating fractions to musical notes. This harmonious blend of music and math captivates students and facilitates understanding of mathematical concepts.

The new analysis, featured in the journal Educational Studies, examined 55 studies involving nearly 78,000 students ranging from kindergarten to university age. Three types of musical interventions were analyzed – traditional music lessons encompassing singing, listening, and composition; instrumental training individually or as part of a band; and music-math integrated interventions, where music was seamlessly incorporated into the lessons.

Students who participated in music interventions demonstrated improvements in their mathematical abilities. However, the most notable progress was observed in students who experienced integrated lessons, with approximately 73% outperforming their peers with no musical intervention. 69% of students engaged in instrumental training, and 58% of those who had traditional music lessons also exhibited improvement compared to the others.

The study unveiled the connection between music and math, highlighting their shared attributes, such as symbol usage, symmetry, abstract thinking, and quantitative reasoning. The unique similarity positions music as an ideal tool for teaching arithmetic, as fundamental mathematical concepts like fractions and ratios are also essential to music.

The integration of music into lessons enables students to establish connections between the two subjects and provides additional opportunities for exploration, interpretation, and comprehension of mathematical concepts. The study suggests collaborative planning between math and music teachers could have even more positive outcomes, alleviating students’ math anxiety.