“When we sing, it helps us learn,” intones primary teacher Hannah MacGregor to the tune of a sea shanty, before she starts counting in fives.

Sea shanties have hit the big time thanks to Scottish former postman Nathan Evans, who became famous on TikTok for singing the centuries-old songs traditionally sung by sailors.

Sea shanties make learning times tables fun

Now Evans has signed a deal with Polydor Records - and P4-5 (ages 7-8) teacher Ms MacGregor has had more than 16,000 views on Twitter after using iMovie to adapt the genre for the virtual classroom at Tulliallan Primary, her school in Fife, in the east of Scotland.

What happens when a teacher records a ‘sea shanty...?’#musichelpsuslearn #EveryoneCanCreate #appleteacher #AppleEDUchat pic.twitter.com/1yKApJU65Y

- Mrs MacGregor (@MrsHMacGregor) February 11, 2021

One teacher replied on Twitter: “Amazing! I will definitely be sharing this with my learners!”

A mother of a seven-year-old girl said that “she’s not too keen on times tables but loves this song, thank you”.

Another response read: “When you think outside the box, children learn and you educate.”