Beyoncé and the Eleven Plus

If one member of the family passes the eleven plus is it likely that others will follow suit? If we look at the Bach family we can see prodigious musical talent. Their profession was music – and fifty-three Bachs held posts as organists, cantors or musicians over a period of around a hundred years.

One of the family was Johan Christian Bach who was the eighteenth child and the eleventh son. He was appointed music master to Queen Charlotte.

(If there are any current eleven plus families out there with eighteen children – we would love to hear from the eleventh child.)

Do children learn to cope with different types of verbal reasoning if the instructions are set to music? Would the music of Beethoven be better suited to coping with opposites – or should families and eleven plus tutors use the songs of Beyoncé?  Should children learn long division with country and western songs or should the family have to put up with the `Black Eyed Peas?’

Think of the sales of guitars, pianos, and double basses as parents buy their eleven plus teaching tools. Think of mothers and fathers settling down after the evening meal to write little eleven plus songs. Look at the pleasure and the excitement of working out a simple tune to:

Bicycle, Biennial, Binary and Binomial

All start with Bi.

This implies that two of something is involved.

Chorus

In a binomial distribution

The random variable

Has two possible outcomes.

Biscuit, billion, billiards and bimbo

All start with Bi

Beyoncé, however, starts with `be’ so she’s not involved.

Chorus

In a binomial distribution

The random variable

Has two possible outcomes.