Ready to bring some holiday fun into your music classroom? Boomwhackers are already a go-to favorite for active and engaging music-making, but this play-along activity takes things to a whole new level of seasonal cheer. Whether you’re looking for a fresh idea to energize your students or a perfect way to wrap up the month, this activity will help you end your classes before winter break on the right boomwhacker note.

Our featured song? None other than the hilariously iconic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", written by Theodor Geisel with music by Albert Hague. While the original version was famously sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, we’re taking a modern twist with Pentatonix’s electrifying acappella cover from their album The Best of Pentatonix Christmas. Uploaded to YouTube on December 18, 2019, this performance captures all the sass and swagger of the original, perfect for a Boomwhacker-based jam session.

So grab your Boomwhackers, the manipulatives, use the tempo settings in the YouTube play-along or the Soundslice Notation Play-Along, channel your inner Whoville musician, and prepare to turn your classroom into a festive soundscape of Grinchy grooves. Because who can be a Boomwhacker Grinch when your students are laughing, learning, and loving music? Let's dive in!

Boomwhackers

The boomwhackers used for this play-along are:

C
C# - Roll boomwhacker inside a triangle!
D
Eb
E
F
F#
G
A
Bb

Feel free to use barred instruments, desktop bells, virtual xylophones with boomwhacker colors (https://playxylo.com/) and (https://www.doctormusik.com/apps-and-games/virtual-xylophone/), or a virtual boomwhacker (https://www.musick8.com/boomwhackers/playboomwhackers.php), or non-pitched instruments as a rhythm play-along, if you do not have all of these boomwhackers.

Rhythm Patterns

The rhythm patterns found in the song are mostly steady beat patterns with quarter rests. However, sometimes there are dotted quarter notes followed by eighth notes, or two eighth notes together.

Manipulatives

All of the slides used in the play-along can be found on my Buy Me a Coffee Channel (https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech). I would highly suggest using these to teach, read, reinforce, and perform before playing the video.

Teaching - YouTube vs Soundslice Tips

This boomwhacker play-along can be a bit challenging. Therefore, try some of these tips:

Use the Manipulatives found at https://buymeacoffee.com/elmusedtech to rehearse the patterns before you perform with the video.
If you are using the YouTube version, use the YouTube settings to slow down the video. Speed it up when the students are ready.
If you are using the Soundslice version (https://www.soundslice.com/slices/MgSCc/) with just the notation, you have the ability to control many factors of the video such as:
- How you would like to view it
- How many staves you want to see on the screen
- Choose the conductor to highlight the beat or the measure
- Display note names or turn them off
Perform this video a few times with the students using the same notes each time so that they get better with each performance.

YouTube Version

Soundslice Version

Coming Soon!

There will be a MusicFirst Elementary #techtiptuesday this week and then a Top Ten #techtips for General Music Teachers beginning December 23!

You're a Boomwhacker Grinch? Nah! Boomwhacker Play-Along