Boom Whackers are one of my favorite teaching tools! They are pitched plastic pipes that can be used to play lots of fun songs. I use them to help teach rhythms. Here is a fun group that plays well known tunes on the boomwhackers. You can make your own or purchase them here.
I keep them next to my piano and they get pulled out a lot! They are pitched plastic tubes. My homemade ones have been used so much that the pitch is no longer true but that's not really important when used to review rhythms in a lesson.
Any time a child is struggling with a rhythm I grab two boom whackers and let them pick one (I get the other). We then bang out the rhythm together. They can bang anywhere they want - on the piano, on the bench or *my favorite* on their head! They get excited to use the boom whacker which helps settle them down if they are frustrated. We count it out together and then they do it alone.
We use them both in their lesson to count out a difficult rhythm as well as in lots of theory games. They are especially useful with the Rhythm Flashcards and the Build A Rhythm games.
My daughter made these boom whackers for a school science project and she had a great time playing songs with them. They are made out of the plastic coverings for fluorescent lights. We found them with the lights at the hardware store for about $6. One tube made several. You can follow the instructions to pitch them or just cut them up to use...I really have not used the pitches yet although I think it would be a lot of fun at a group theory party,
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