Submitted by Connie Herbon, Iowa

Idea posted November 22, 2005

My third graders wrote this Thanksgiving ditty:

Thanksgiving Dinner
(rhythm is the flow of the lyrics / change pitches at slash marks)
(ascending C scale)
Gobble, gobble, / bok, bok / Mashed potatoes, / gravy, /
Turkey and / corn-bread, / Fill your plate / baby!
(descending C scale)
Apple pie, / stuffing, / don't you want / more? /
We forgot the / cran-berries. / Off to the / store!
(rhythmic ostinato for corn guiros or other unpitched percussion)
"Where is the corn?" (ta ti-ti ta Z)

Boomwhacker® Add-On:

I printed up this grid-type Boomwhacker® score and was pleasantly surprised at how solid the chordal harmony sounded as an accompaniment to our scale-pattern Thanksgiving song!

We worked in a meter of 2, but this accompaniment will work for any scale song just by changing the number of times each chord is played.

Each player has two Boomwhackers®: Part 1 (low) uses big C and D; Part 2 (middle) uses E and F; Part 3 (higher) uses G and A; and Part 4 (highest and optional) uses B and high C (C'). This gives each player something to play on each beat.

Phrase I:
(4) C' C' / B B / C' C' / C' C' /
(3) G G / G G / G G / A A /
(2) E E / F F / E E / F F /
(1) C C / D D / C C / C C /
Phrase 2:
(4) C' C' / C' C' / B B / C' C' /
(3) G G / A A / G G / G G /
(2) E E / F F / F F / E E /
(1) C C / C C / D D / C C /
Phrase 3:
(4) C' C' / B B / C' C' / C' C' /
(3) G G / G G / A A / G G /
(2) E E / E E / F F / E E /
(1) C C / C C / C C / C C /
Phrase 4:
(4) C' C' / C' C' / B B / C' C' /
(3) A A / G G / G G / G G /
(2) F F / E E / F F / E E /
(1) C C / C C / D D / C C /