How to Use a Garden Xylophone to Encourage Music, Sound, and Rhythm

A garden xylophone is a fun way to encourage children and families to interact with music, sound, and rhythm. It’s easy to install and ideal for a school playground, sensory woodland garden or community space. There are also plenty of other musical options for your outdoor learning environment, including a marimba, a glockenspiel, chimes, and more.

A xylophone is a musical instrument that features wooden bars or keys arranged like piano keys, which you hit with a mallet to create a tune. You can vary the quality of the pitch by using different types of mallet and hitting the wooden bars in different ways. Attached to the undersides of these wooden bars are metal tubes called resonators that vibrate when struck. The resonators give the xylophone its bright bell-like sounds.

The marimba is a musical instrument that sounds similar to the xylophone but has a more mellow tone. They both feature wooden bars arranged like piano keys, but the central portion of these wooden bars on a marimba are shaped differently and tuned with odd-numbered harmonics. On the other hand, the central portion of these wooden bars on xylophone are slightly narrower and tuned with even-numbered harmonics.

Metallophones are another type of musical instrument that looks and sounds similar to a cymbal but is tuned with even-numbered harmonics. These acoustic instruments are also a good option to include in your sensory learning area because they offer a wide range of pitches and can produce a deep sound when hit.

These acoustic instruments are great for improving hand to eye coordination, motor skills, and rhythm. They can also help improve language and social skills, and they provide an opportunity for students to learn about pitch (high vs. low sounds) and other musical contrasts such as loud vs. soft, fast vs. slow, etc.

Our Capella Diatonic Outdoor Xylophone is a fun way for kids to explore the sounds of nature and learn about how they can be used to create music. It has 15 rainbow colored notes that are tuned to G Major and can be played by both beginners or experienced musicians. The diatonic arrangement of the Capella allows users to play many familiar tunes as well as improvise and compose their own. The Capella can be installed into the ground or surface mounted, and it comes with a protective perforated weather cover to protect the instrument from harsh elements. You can also add a stainless steel security fixing to deter vandalism and theft.