Douze points!

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event which brings music and maths into homes across the world. Maths? Well, yes, the songs are a big part of the evening but so is the voting. Many people will sit and try and work out how many points particular countries will need in order to win. In fact, if you think about it, elements of maths can be found throughout Eurovision- in the rhythms found in songs, in the measurements needed to build the sets, in the statistics that journalists will quote when talking about the different entries.

Liverpool Counts is a campaign which encourages positive messages around maths. As part of the Liverpool Counts Quality Mark we encourage schools to explore cultural events through a mathematical lens. We produced a resource pack to help celebrate the 2023 contest taking part in Liverpool and encouraged schools to use this as an opportunity to explore where they can find maths in Eurovision. This resource would be suitable for use relating to the 2024 contest as well, especially as the resource uses classic Eurovision hits to inspire maths activity and 2024 marks 50 years since ABBA won Eurovision for Sweden with Waterloo.

Our Eurovision maths resource pack is inspired by some of the amazing songs that have been entered into the Eurovision Song Contest since it began in 1956. Each song has inspired an activity, many of them open-ended, that encourages pupils to think mathematically. Adapt these ideas to meet the needs of your pupils and use them as a jumping off point.

We know that you’ll also have your own brilliant ideas. We’d love to know how you include maths as part of your celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest. Tag us on social media @LLPartnership and use the hashtags #LiverpoolCounts and #EuroLearn