Boom Boom! Boomwhackers® on Broadway: Book & CD

Gayle Giese has created something that bridges the gap between pure joy and genuine musicianship. These Broadway arrangements respect the iconic melodies while offering real flexibility: melody and accompaniment parts allow you to differentiate by instrument, skill level, or group size. The included play-along tracks transform what could feel like a novelty into a polished ensemble experience.

Each of these Broadway standards carries its own theatrical energy: the bright optimism of Annie, the sultry coolness of Sweet Charity, the dreamy spirituality of Hair. Playing them on Boomwhackers adds lightness and color without diminishing the melodies. There's something magical about turning a room full of plastic tubes into a Broadway orchestra.

Music teachers and classroom instructors working with upper elementary through middle school students who are ready for ensemble experience but may not read music fluently. Boomwhackers appeal to kinesthetic learners and bring humor and movement to the rehearsal space while demanding real rhythmic precision and listening skills.

• Assign melody and accompaniment parts strategically. Stronger players can handle the fuller accompaniment layers while newer students nail the memorable main lines.
• Use the full performance track first to let students hear the target sound, then switch to the accompaniment track for rehearsals so your ensemble fills the musical foreground.
• Start with the reproducible visuals during early rehearsals. Visual reinforcement helps students internalize phrasing and dynamics before the performance pressure kicks in.
• Experiment with layering: begin with melody only, add simple accompaniment, then build to the fuller arrangement as confidence grows.

This book works beautifully as a spring concert opener, especially if you're building toward larger ensemble work or a themed musical theater unit. You could also use individual arrangements across the year as ensemble-building warm-ups or performance pieces for parent events. The range of titles means you can select pieces that match specific themes, classroom stories, or seasonal programming.

• Ensemble balance and blend with non-pitched percussion
• Reading unison and multi-part arrangements
• Rhythmic precision and ensemble synchronization
• Musical phrasing and dynamic shaping
• Following a conductor while playing a mallet instrument
• Performing with recorded accompaniment tracks