| Tuned Percussion is great fun - most of the | | | | students have the right notes on their |
| Time! However, it can be a source of | | | | instruments, and then you'll still hear |
| headaches (literally!) for music teachers if | | | | something funny going on whenever you hear an |
| its not implemented in a careful way. | | | | "F" because one student has an F# on their |
| | | | instrument! |
| This article is to give you some hints and | | | | |
| tricks on how to maintain and look after the | | | | The best tip I have for this is to simply |
| instruments, plus the types of music to play | | | | take those substitute bars, put them into a |
| which have the greatest chances of success. | | | | box and lock them away! |
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| 1)Organization is the key | | | | The best solution is to simply find music, |
| | | | transpose music or write music that is only |
| With tuned percussion instruments in a music | | | | in C MAJOR. That way you won't be messing |
| class you have to be totally organized. | | | | around chaning notes, and you can get on with |
| | | | making music! |
| Each instrument needs a shelf where it lives | | | | |
| permanently - so that students know where it | | | | 4) Go for Wood - Not Metal - and get them all |
| goes back after it has been used. You've got | | | | at once! |
| to establish these places early in the | | | | |
| routine and have ordering about how the | | | | I've seen more broken "Metallophones" at |
| students go about picking them out and | | | | schools than any other instrument. For some |
| playing them. | | | | reason they always seem to have gotten lost |
| | | | bars and damaged rubber strips under the bars |
| 2) Go All Diatonic or All Chromatic | | | | which result in a loud "clunk" whenever you |
| | | | try to play them! |
| One of the big problems is that many orff | | | | |
| style tuned percussion instruments are sold | | | | Glockenspiels are very challenging for young |
| in two bits - the main "diatonic" part of the | | | | children - the bars are really small... and |
| instrument, plus they offer a "chromatic | | | | piercing on the ears as well. |
| extension" which is simply the black notes on | | | | |
| a separate box resonator. | | | | My advice... go for WOOD every time. diatonic |
| | | | xylophones, with a box resonator. |
| In my experience these things are far more | | | | |
| hassle than they are worth, particularly for | | | | You should really take ALL your budget in one |
| elementary school classes. You are much | | | | year and dedicate it to this - don't buy one |
| better off with just a diatonic instrument | | | | or two at once.. That will not suffice for a |
| that isn't in "two bits" | | | | whole class. Get a class set of ten to twenty |
| | | | xylophones that are all identical and they |
| Organizing a class so that everyone has to | | | | will last for years. |
| get the main instrument, and then get the | | | | |
| chromatic extension and put it in front is | | | | Get one or two at a time and you'll find that |
| far too difficult for most elementary | | | | they get mixed up and no-one knows what bars |
| classes. | | | | and bits go with what instrument! |
| | | | |
| In theory of course the elementary class can | | | | 5) Mallets all identical - all in one place |
| use just the diatonic bit, and the more | | | | |
| advanced can use the full chromatic.. but it | | | | One simple thing you can do is get a full set |
| rarely works that way! | | | | of mallets, and make them all identical! |
| | | | |
| The only schools where I've seen those | | | | If you get a box or a large jar and dedicate |
| chromatic extensions they are generally put | | | | it to this purpose then students will know |
| away into a cupboard and never used! | | | | that they have to get and return the mallets |
| | | | to this location and they'll get used to this |
| Still, if you have more advanced or older | | | | procedure. |
| students then you should get fully chromatic | | | | |
| instruments to start with! | | | | If you only have wooden xylophones then you |
| | | | won't have to worry about different mallets |
| 3) Play everything in C Major | | | | for the glockenspiels and metallophones. |
| | | | |
| One of the big "time wasters" is those | | | | Of course I'm talking about an ideal |
| substitute F sharp and B flat bars that are | | | | situation - and I know that its not common |
| included with many of the diatonic | | | | that you get the budget to go out and get a |
| instruments. These have to be a complete | | | | full class set of new tuned percussion |
| waste of time for teachers. Often you can | | | | instruments for an elementary school. |
| spend half the class making sure that all the | | | | |