Boomwhacker Beats: Lesson 1 - Meet the Colors & Sounds

Materials Needed:

• C Major Diatonic Scale Boomwhackers® Set (8 tubes: Red, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Dark Green, Blue, Purple, Red)
• A soft surface for striking (carpet, a mat, or the child's own hand/leg)
• Large piece of paper or a whiteboard
• Colored markers that match the Boomwhackers
• A simple, color-coded song chart for "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (drawn on the paper/whiteboard)
• Optional: A bag or box to hide the Boomwhackers in for the introduction

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Identify each Boomwhacker by its color.
2. Match the main colors to their musical note names (C, D, E, F, G, A, B).
3. Hold and strike a Boomwhacker correctly to make a clear sound.
4. Echo and play simple rhythm patterns.
5. Follow a color-coded chart to play a simple song.

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Lesson Plan

Part 1: Introduction - The Musical Rainbow (10 minutes)

1. The Hook: Mystery Instruments!

• Educator: "I have a secret musical surprise today! They're hiding in this bag. They are colorful like a rainbow, and each one makes its own special sound. What do you think they could be?"
• Pull the Boomwhackers out one by one, letting the child guess and observe. Lay them on the floor to create a rainbow arc.

2. Lesson Goals

• Educator: "Today, we are going to become Boomwhacker experts! By the time we're done, you will know how to:
  • Name all the colors of our musical tubes.
  • Know the special music name for each color.
  • Play your Boomwhacker to make a great sound.
  • Play a real song just by following the colors!"

Part 2: Body - Becoming a Boomwhacker Pro! (40 minutes)

Activity 1: I Do, We Do, You Do - Meet the Notes (15 minutes)

• I Do (Modeling): "Watch me first. This is a Boomwhacker. To make a sound, I hold it in the middle like this—not too tight! Then, I can gently tap it on the palm of my other hand. *Tap*. Listen to that sound! This red one has the special music name 'C'."
• We Do (Guided Practice): "Now, let's do it together. Everyone pick up the red Boomwhacker. What color is it? (Red!). Its music name is 'C'. Let's all hold it in the middle and tap it on our hand. Ready, set, go! *Tap*."
  • Go through each color of the scale (C-D-E-F-G-A-B). For each one:
  • Ask: "What color is this?"
  • Tell: "Its music name is..." (e.g., "Orange is D," "Yellow is E").
  • Practice: Have the child tap the tube and listen to how the sound gets higher as you go up the rainbow.
• You Do (Independent Practice): "Can you line up the Boomwhackers to look like a rainbow? Now, can you point to the 'G' Boomwhacker? What color is it? (Dark Green). Great! Now play me the sound for yellow 'E'."

Activity 2: We Do, You Do - Rhythm Explorers (10 minutes)

• We Do (Call and Response): "Music needs a beat! That's called rhythm. I'm going to clap a rhythm, and I want you to copy it by tapping your favorite Boomwhacker. My turn first..."
  • Clap a simple pattern: clap, clap, clap, clap. Wait for the child to echo: boom, boom, boom, boom.
  • Try another: clap, clap, clap-clap. Wait for the echo: boom, boom, boom-boom.
  • Use fun words: "Let's play the rhythm for 'bum-ble-bee'." (boom-boom-boom). "Now let's play 'wa-ter-mel-on'." (boom-boom-boom-boom).
• You Do (Creative Practice): "Now you're the leader! Make up your own rhythm pattern, and I'll copy you. It's my turn to listen and your turn to lead!"

Activity 3: We Do, You Do - Our First Song! (15 minutes)

• Educator: "It's time to play a real song! Look at this chart. It's a secret code for 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'. Each colored circle tells us which Boomwhacker to play."
• (Prepare a chart beforehand with colored circles: Yellow - Orange - Red - Orange - Yellow - Yellow - Yellow)
• We Do (Guided Practice): "Let's read the code first without playing. I'll point to each color, and you say its name." (Point to each circle: "Yellow, Orange, Red..."). "Awesome! Now, let's try to play it together very slowly. I'll point, you find the right color and play."
  • Go through the song phrase by phrase, providing help and encouragement.
• You Do (Independent Performance): "You're getting it! Now, let's try to play the whole song one more time. You read the color chart all by yourself. I know you can do it!" Celebrate their performance with a big cheer.

Part 3: Conclusion - Recap & Cool-Down (10 minutes)

1. Review and Recap

• Educator: "That was amazing! You are a fantastic musician. Let's think about everything we learned."
• Ask Questions (Formative Assessment):
  • "Can you show me the Boomwhacker that makes the 'C' sound? What color is it?" (Red)
  • "What was the name of the song we learned to play?" (Mary Had a Little Lamb)
  • "What part was the most fun for you today?"

2. Cool-Down Activity: The Boomwhacker Wave

• Educator: "Let's end with one last cool activity. Let's put all our Boomwhackers in rainbow order on the floor, from lowest sound to highest. Now, let's play them one by one, going up the scale to make a musical wave! *woooosh*... And now let's go back down! *hsoooow*... Great job!"
• End with a final, celebratory "Tada!" strike of a Boomwhacker together.

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Assessment & Success Criteria

Formative Assessment (During Lesson)

• Observing the child's ability to hold the tube and produce a sound.
• Listening to their rhythm echoes to check for accuracy.
• Watching how they follow the color chart.

Summative Assessment (End of Lesson)

The child shows they have met the objectives if they can:

• Play the main melody of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by following the color chart.
• Correctly identify at least 4 of the 7 Boomwhacker colors/notes when asked.

Success Criteria (In kid-friendly language)

• I can name the colors of my Boomwhackers.
• I can hit my Boomwhacker to make a clear sound.
• I can copy a rhythm pattern.
• I can follow the colors on the chart to play a song.

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Differentiation

For a Simpler Experience (Scaffolding):

• Start with only 3 notes (Red-C, Orange-D, Yellow-E) and master them.
• Use a simpler song that only uses those three notes, like "Hot Cross Buns" (E-D-C).
• Spend more time on free, creative play and less on reading the music chart.

For an Extra Challenge (Extension):

• Introduce the high and low 'C' tubes and talk about how they sound different but have the same letter name.
• Challenge the child to create their own 3 or 4-note song and draw the color code for it on the whiteboard.
• Try playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" faster or creating a harmony part.