This sheet music collection of 20 folk songs is notated for 13-note (one octave, C to C chromatic scale) instruments with Handbells on one staff and Boomwhackers� on a second staff creating an instrumental ensemble (requires one set of each instrument). Handbells play the melody while the Boomwhackers� keep a steady beat with three-note chords. For each song, there is a combined score with both parts on a grand staff plus a separate 1-staff score for each individual part. A note and chord reference chart is also provided for each song.

The songs in this digital book are ordered by difficulty with the easiest songs presented first. The songs progressively incorporate more challenging rhythms, some requiring rapid chord changes. Many of the songs include two verses. The first verse is ?easy? with fewer notes. The second verse is ?intermediate? and expands the melody by adding more notes (sometimes including harmony notes). If you want to learn (practice) only the ?easy? verse, an optional ending is provided or it can be skipped to perform the two verses together.

Though this sheet music is notated for Handbells and Boomwhackers�, these arrangements are playable by any 13-note, C to C chromatic scale (one octave) instrument such as a xylophone or glockenspiel. The melody could also be played by a recorder.

This set of scores uses colored noteheads corresponding to the Boomwhackers� color scheme. If you have a set of bells or tubes with a different color scheme, ?Chroma-Notes Stick Ons? can be purchased and applied so the instruments match the Boomwhackers� color scheme. This set of scores is also available (separate purchase) in black and white which will print clearer if you do not have access to a color printer.

Only filled noteheads (quarter and eighth notes) are used so the notes are full color and easier to see (this does not indicate the bells need to be silenced immediately before the next beat). Also, only quarter and eighth rests are used to help visualize the number of beats per measure. Lyrics and chord names are provided as well to aid in the learning and teaching of this song.

The number of ringers and whackers needed will vary depending on the skill level of the participants. For more advanced players, each person could be assigned two or three notes. For beginners, it is best to assign one or two notes to each person. Instrument assignment suggestions are provided for each song.

Other suggestions and uses:
* have both parts played by bells or both parts played using only Boomwhackers�
* form a choir using multiple sets of bells and/or Boomwhackers� (this would amplify the sound and allow more people to participate)
* use as part of the music education for children at school, home, or church
* these colorful, inexpensive instruments can be enjoyed by all ages and add a fun, unique element to activities and programs: senior centers, family reunions, church retreats, home school groups, children?s ministries


Each of the 20 arrangements in this collection is also available separately with accompanying preview pages and audio samples.

Titles included in this collection:
Alphabet Song
Be Kind to Your Loved Ones
B-I-N-G-O
Doo-dah-day!
Good Morning, Merry Sunshine
He?s Got the Whole World In His Hands
Hickory Dickory Dock
Hokey Pokey
Hot Cross Buns
I Love the Mountains
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Little Robin Red-breast
Old MacDonald
On Top of Old Smokey
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Simple Gifts
Skip to My Lou
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
The Water Is Wide

Boomwhackers� is a registered trademark of Rhythm Band Instruments, LLC, Fort Worth, TX. Used by permission.

This is a study of ear training through melodic development. Small melodic fragments from familiar nursery rhymes, folk, patriotic and hymns tunes are used. The numbers 1 through 7 are used instead of using ?Do, Re, Mi?? to identify the notes in the scale. Melodies are categorized by range, beginning with a range of only three notes, progressing through a total of nine categories. Skills in ear training are highly useful to musicians who might be asked to take requests at hotels, parties and restaurants, or those involved in harp therapy. With the melodic fragments that are the focus of study, performance by ear can be highly strengthened and developed.
Table of Contents:
All Through the Night, Amazing Grace, America, Angels from the Realms of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, Au Clare de la Lune, Away in a Manger, Be Thou My Vision, Billy Boy, Cindy, Clementine, Day is Done (Taps), Down in the Valley, Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, Frere Jacques, Go Tell Aunt Rhody, Go Tell It On the Mountain, Goin' Home, Good King Wenceslas, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, Here We Come A'Wassailing, Home on the Range, Home Sweet Home, Hot Cross Buns, I'm a Little Teapot, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Kumbayah, Lightly Row, London Bridge, Lonesome Valley, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Morning Has Broken, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, Ode to Joy, Oh Susanna, Oh How Lovely is the Evening, Old Folks at Home, Old Hundredth, On Top of Old Smokey, Over the River and Through the Woods, Row Row Row Your Boat, Shenandoah, Silent Night, Skip to my Lou, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Farmer in the Dell, The First Nowell, The Harp that Once Thro' Tara's Halls, The Star Spangled Banner, This Old Man, Three Blind Mice, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, We Wish You Merry Christmas, When the Saints Go Marching In.