The students all listen intently, focused on Beethoven's classic Fifth Symphony as Rafer Johnson Middle School teacher Scott Neilsen outlines a lesson. Neilsen's not a music teacher -- but he's using music to teach his students through a new education program. Keeping Score is a young teaching tool, just a small part of a music educational program created by the San Francisco Symphony. Nielsen, a pre-algebra teacher at Rafer Johnson, has brought this technique into his classroom. "The goal is to get not only classical, but any kind of music into the classroom, but not through the music classes," Neilsen said. "We approach the topic through music."

Teaching with music creates interest for the students. Neilsen said it also gives the students tools to connect lessons.

For example, Neilsen uses opera as a way to teach variables in algebraic equations. For some of the students, it is the first time that they have ever heard opera.

After listening to the opera, Neilsen then talks about the story that the opera tells. Usually, he said, it is a dramatic love story.

"I use the story to connect with the students," Neilsen said. "Kids in middle school have crushes, so I tell them that they have to get to know their crush, just like the variable in the equation. You have to hook up with the variable."

The tools that Neilsen teaches create connections for concepts for the students. Neilsen uses Beethoven's Fifth to teach fractions and decimal conversions.

"As soon as I get them hooked, I can steer them however I want," Neilsen said.

He is in his third year with the program. Nielsen's first two years were spent learning the intricacies of the program.

The students do not have to have any music background to use the lesson that he teaches.

"Initially I use the music as an interest getter," Neilsen said. "Of all the performing arts, the one our brains are hardwired for is music. Anything we can do to tie it in to the lesson helps."

Neilsen is actually part of the expansion of the new Keeping Score program. He has been teaching other teachers how to use the technique, including heading to Flagstaff, Ariz. to give presentations to other educators. He said the program's techniques have been incredibly valuable and effective.

"I get them to find the hidden meaning (of the music) and once they get it they love it," Neilsen said. "I tie them in more emotionally to the music. By the end of the year, they're begging for it. Some of them come to me at the end of the year and ask me to make them a CD."

He said teaching the Keeping Score program allows the students to spot techniques they use to solve math problems.

"They'll look at a problem and say 'oh, that's Beethoven,'" Nielsen said.

Rafer Johnson Principal Laurie Goodman said she has seen a definite effect from the program. Last month, the students celebrated "Bachtober," a play off the month "October."

"I think Keeping Score is wonderful, it allows students to see the connection music has," Goodman said. "The kids are so engaged, they absolutely love it."

Goodman has been in the classroom to see the lessons. She said she has seen Nielsen use jazz to teach scatter plots and the distribution of point along graphs.

"It keeps them wanting to come back," Goodman said.

She has no doubt that the lower absentee rates have to do with the music.

"Very few students don't enjoy some music and many are walking around with headphones on," Goodman said. "When they can tell me the story of 'Romeo and Juliet' and tell me what they liked, I can see that it's because of the program. Even if they can't say that it was because of music, I can see the effect."