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Artists and dancers will be brought into Aberdeen schools to help teach subjects such as maths and English.

The move is part of a radical arts project with its roots in Chicago.

The city council is just one of seven Scottish local authorities chosen to take part in Arts Across the Curriculum.

Artists and teachers will combine their skills in an attempt to inspire learning among pupils at Kincorth Academy and nearby primary schools.

It is hoped the project will bring about similar results to those in Chicago's inner-city schools, where the idea was first tried out.

Benefits in the American city included increased attendance, improved motivation and better test results.

The project was also said to make learning and teaching more rounded and creative.

A short-term pilot was carried out in South Lanarkshire in 1999-2000, and evidence suggested more pupils borrowed books from the library as a result.

In Aberdeen, the three-year project includes two years in the classroom, starting from this August.

Four artists or musicians are expected to take turns spending several months working in Kincorth.

They will spend about half a day a week at each school, while other artists could take one-off sessions.

Annette Murray, arts education co-ordinator for the council, said the scheme could help with the understanding of other subjects in a number of ways.

A musician could help pupils, for example, by comparing the rhythm of a melody with the rhythm of a piece of prose. A greater knowledge of music could also help an understanding of percentages and fractions. A dancer, meanwhile, could help an understanding of geometry by encouraging a group of pupils to make shapes with their bodies.

The artists will work closely with teachers and each lesson will be planned carefully in advance.

Linda Lees-Hislop, the city council's cultural co-ordinator for music, dance and performance, said: "Research has suggested that you retain 5% of the information if you are told something but 95% if you actually do something, so by using art to make the lesson both relevant and interesting it is hoped to have a positive effect on attainment."

The Scottish Executive has allocated Aberdeen £104,000 to fund the project. It is also taking place in six other local authority areas in Scotland.

The overall project is being run by the Scottish Arts Council in partnership with Scottish Executive education officers.

It could be rolled out across the whole of Scotland after it finishes in September 2007, and is being evaluated by Strathclyde University researchers.