Boomwhacked

I've decided that someday, when I write my memoirs, I'm going to name the book Boomwhacked: The Story of a Music Teacher.

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered Boomwhackers for my teaching pleasure. They arrived last week, to much excitement and fanfare in the Bat Cave of the Cooper house (my parents were indifferent). I knew my kids would OMG LOVE these things.

See, Boomwhackers are meant to be whacked. They're almost indestructable (though they have to be "tuned" once in a while by being rolled back into a nice round shape). They are pitched...and they have solfege names on them. I've been teaching solfege of late. These Boomwhackers are pretty much perfect.

This week, I debuted them, with much secrecy and fanfare. I would enter each classroom with the canvas laundry bag I bought for hauling them around. It never fails. Someone always notices that bag, and immediately, young voices pop up. "What's in the bag?!"

"I don't know!" I reply with a smile. "We'll have to wait and see."

I like to draw out the suspense a little...okay, a lot. And when I finally show them what is in the bag...

"Do you think I brought my laundry to school?"

"Noooooo!!!"

"You're right. That would be silly."

...they're so excited, they can hardly stand it. It's safe to say--and please, pardon the pun--that the Boomwhackers are a huge hit.

Bonus: they're not hideously loud, either. They make a kind of dull, thunk sound.

So after the long list of expectations has been gone through--don't hit your head, someone else's head, don't put your mouth on them because eww germs, and please, no sword fighting, either--the Boomwhackers are handed out, and the barely-controled chaos ensues. I've managed to get third graders playing "Oh, Susanna" with decent accuracy this week, and other grade levels playing slightly easier tunes.

And my quest to become The Funnest Teacher In This School is progressing very nicely, indeed.