Bubble Wrap

This rap is about wrap-bubble wrap, that is! Another option for your seasonal programming, you could also use this piece any time you want to have some fun with your students. Every kid, young and old, knows what bubble wrap is, and we've all been tempted by the neat little bubbles to squeeze, pinch, and pop!

On the recording, the rap begins with drums and pops only. A melodic synthesizer gives a pitch for the optional sung part (part 1), which begins at measure 9, along with a very contemporary slap bass line and rhythmic guitar. This sung part is super simple and even your youngest singers will be able to pick it up easily. The rap also begins here (part 2) and is revisited throughout the song. The rhythms are identical in this entire section, so learning them will be a snap. (No pun intended.)

During the verses at measure 25, the percussion takes over as the kids rap in unison now. If you have some live classroom percussion (maybe even some of the found objects discussed earlier), this would be a great time to add it. Keep the rhythms simple and add the parts a few at a time, taking turns for the best, and least cluttered, results.

If you'd like to perform the verses with even younger students, feel free to adapt the lyrics and rhythms any way you like. You can simplify most of the lines easily by just converting them to mostly quarter note rhythms and altering the words accordingly. Your older students might even find it a rewarding challenge to come up with their own lyrics, or to write lyrics and rhythms for their younger peers.

The really fun part of this tune is, of course, the bubble wrap itself. If you can get your hands on a few small pieces to pass around, you can let your students pop them, either during specified sections, or freely throughout the entire song!