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Tuned Percussion in the Music Classroom - a Teachers Guide

Tuned Percussion is great fun - most of thestudents have the right notes on their
Time! However, it can be a source ofinstruments, and then you'll still hear
headaches (literally!) for music teachers ifsomething 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 theThe best tip I have for this is to simply
instruments, plus the types of music to playtake those substitute bars, put them into a
which  have  the greatest chances of success.box  and  lock  them  away!
1)Organization  is  the  keyThe best solution is to simply find music,
transpose music or write music that is only
With tuned percussion instruments in a musicin 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 it4) Go for Wood - Not Metal - and get them all
goes back after it has been used. You've gotat  once!
to establish these places early in the
routine and have ordering about how theI've seen more broken "Metallophones" at
students go about picking them out andschools 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  Chromaticwhich 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 soldGlockenspiels are very challenging for young
in two bits - the main "diatonic" part of thechildren - the bars are really small... and
instrument, plus they offer a "chromaticpiercing  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 forYou should really take ALL your budget in one
elementary school classes. You are muchyear and dedicate it to this - don't buy one
better off with just a diatonic instrumentor 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 towill  last  for  years.
get the main instrument, and then get the
chromatic extension and put it in front isGet one or two at a time and you'll find that
far too difficult for most elementarythey get mixed up and no-one knows what bars
classes.and  bits  go  with  what  instrument!
In theory of course the elementary class can5)  Mallets  all identical - all in one place
use just the diatonic bit, and the more
advanced can use the full chromatic.. but itOne 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 thoseIf you get a box or a large jar and dedicate
chromatic extensions they are generally putit 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 olderprocedure.
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  Majorfor  the  glockenspiels  and  metallophones.
One of the big "time wasters" is thoseOf course I'm talking about an ideal
substitute F sharp and B flat bars that aresituation - and I know that its not common
included with many of the diatonicthat you get the budget to go out and get a
instruments. These have to be a completefull class set of new tuned percussion
waste of time for teachers. Often you caninstruments for an elementary school.
spend half the class making sure that all the



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