Inventive Instruments Unleashed Musical Joy - 2024 Annual Report

With Your Support, Elementary Students Learned to Make Music Together – No Strings Attached

The entire class of second- and third-graders was in harmony. With faces set in concentration, they followed melodies, kept time, and sang – experiencing the joy of making music together.

This feat was possible thanks to teacher Lynn McArthur and a set of instruments with a serious purpose and a silly name: C Major Boomwhackers.

With support from donors like you, Ms. McArthur requested a Classroom Grant to buy enough Boomwhackers for all her classes at Sonoma’s four public elementary schools.

Boomwhackers are hollow plastic tubes students can smack on the floor or against their palms. Each tube is a different color and a different length, and makes a different sound – from tall and low to short and high. A full set of eight makes an octave.

With your support, Ms. McArthur could experiment with instruments like the Boomwhackers without worrying about extra costs. There are no strings to squeak and no notes to read. Students know it’s their turn by following Ms. McArthur’s conducting and color-coded cues on a big-screen TV.

The energetic motion of whacking the tubes on the floor helped them embody the tunes. “I like it when a lot of people play at the same time and we have to go fast,” said Sam, a third-grader at Prestwood Elementary School. “It’s really fun.”

In the process, they learned rhythms and heard how separate notes combine into chords. They experienced the satisfaction of transforming noise into song.

“I like doing songs that are kind of complicated,” said Prestwood third-grader Miranda. “You have to focus on the beat.”

Thanks to donors like you, Miranda, Sam, and their classmates have experienced music in a new way – laying the foundation for future music education and lifelong appreciation.

At a Glance: Classroom Grants 2024 89 Classroom Grants awarded 10 SVUSD public schools + charters benefited from Classroom Grant Funding 25 teachers led field trips funded by Classroom Grants

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