Music is a great way for children to express themselves, whether it’s through pots and pans, sing-alongs, or dancing to quirky tunes, music plays a big role in a child’s physical and emotional development. Research says children who are exposed to music often have better moods, reduced stress levels, improved productivity, and higher levels of creativity. With this in mind, it is crucial that we continue to find fun and innovative ways to expose children to music. One of our favorite ways to achieve this is through outdoor musical instruments.

At Freenotes Harmony Park, our range of playground musical instruments is carefully curated to help children hone their musical skills in the great outdoors. We want everyone to experience the joy of playing music to their heart’s content.

So, if you’re looking to build a musical playground and are curious about the different types of musical instruments out there, we’ve put together a guide to help you throughout your journey.

Bells

Not all bells hang from towers. Song bells are mallet percussion instruments, usually made of metal. They emit a clear, resonant, and often bright sound that fills the space around them.

Consider the Caterpillar from Freenotes as an example. Our adorable 7-bell outdoor musical playground instrument can transform any playground into a beautiful soundscape. Feel free to pair it with the Flowers or Mushrooms to create a fun musical arrangement.

And if you want something reminiscent of the Orient, our Pagoda Bells are the way to go. With eight notes and a bright tonal quality, these bells are as calming as they are artistic.

Benefits of Bells:

• Develops Listening Skills: Listening to bell tones can help children distinguish between different pitches and rhythms.

• Promotes Spatial Awareness: Bell ensembles encourage spatial awareness as children move around, find the right angles, and coordinate their strikes.

Fosters Creativity and Social Interaction: Bell playing can be a great outlet for your kids’ creativity. In addition, it allows children from different backgrounds to interact and socialize on the playground.

Metallophones

Put simply, a metallophone is any musical instrument with a series of tuned metal bars (unlike a xylophone, which has wooden bars). In most forms, it is struck with a mallet to produce a beautiful light ringing.

Our metallophones are incredibly versatile and can fit into multiple instrument groupings. Looking for something airy and twinkly for low-sound environments? Choose the sleek, graceful Aria. Need something compact for a smaller playground? Go for the nine-noted Melody. There’s plenty to play around with!

Benefits of Metallophones:

• Physical Coordination and Fine Motor Skills: Playing a metallophone requires precise hand-eye coordination and control. The more you play, the sharper your fine motor skills get.

Inclusive Play for Children of All Abilities: With metallophones, everyone gets a chance to play, regardless of their abilities. This makes them a highly inclusive musical playground instrument.

Chimes

Chimes can transport you to a distant, serene land- far from the hustle and bustle of city life. Thanks to their gentle, soothing, and ethereal tonal quality, chimes are a staple in most musical playgrounds, including ours!

Freenotes’s Contrabass Chimes are hard to miss. Ranging in height from seven to nine feet, these stunning musical instruments for playgrounds produce a low, resonant sound and can be arranged in multiple layouts (including a horseshoe shape) for a ‘surround-sound’ effect.

If you’re looking for something warm, rich, and full, we recommend the Griffin- thoroughly tuned to create a captivating sound no matter where you strike.

Benefits of Chimes:

• Calms and Relaxes Children: Chimes can reduce stress and anxiety in children. When children are calm, they’re more likely to play peacefully without hurting themselves or others.

Inspires Imaginative Play and Storytelling: Children are naturally drawn to chimes. The enchanting notes can spark their creativity and prompt them to invent their musical games, stories, and adventures.

Drums

You can’t have a band without drums. They’re regarded as the backbone of most music genres. Try to think of a pop song that doesn’t have a powerful kick on each beat- you can’t.

What’s more, drums are the world’s oldest and most omnipresent musical instrument. Examples of drums can be found worldwide, from Africa and Asia to Greece, Syria, and China. One drum excavated in Moravia dates to 6000 BCE.

Freenotes’s Bossa Nova Drums are inspired by the Brazilian Timbau and designed to inject a deep, percussive tone into outdoor spaces. Likewise, the Calypso is harmonically and visually similar to the island steel drums of the Caribbean. It’s a sturdy tongue drum with unique tab limiters to prevent damage.

Benefits of Drums:

• Improves Rhythmic Coordination and Timing Skills: When you drum, you use all four limbs and both sides of the brain to play correctly in time. This coordination improves your motor skills, ambidexterity, and overall body control.

• Boosts Confidence and Self-Expression: Drumming challenges children to step outside their comfort zones, try new things, and explore different musical genres. As they achieve new milestones in their drumming journey, their confidence levels naturally increase.

• Also, drums let young musicians learn more about themselves, develop personal music tastes, and establish a stronger connection with their inner selves. In other words, drumming is a powerful tool for self-expression.

• Promotes Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health: Playing the drums isn’t for the weak. On average, drumming can burn around 600 calories per hour. It’s a full-body workout!

Marimba

The marimba is a pitched percussion instrument with tuned wooden bars suspended over a resonator or chamber. It’s comparable to a xylophone- only, the marimba’s tones are soft and mellow, while the xylophone’s notes are sharp and distinct.

Believed to have originated in Africa, the marimba was popularized and modified in Central America. Today, it’s the national instrument of Guatemala and features heavily in traditional Guatemalan songs.

Looking to introduce your child to the marimba? Freenotes’s Imbarimba can be the perfect stepping stone. This outdoor musical playground instrument combines elements of the marimba and the kalimba (an African thumb piano). Its coated fiberglass bars are weatherproof, durable, and easier to maintain than their wooden counterparts.

Or, you could use the Rhythm’s earthy, percussive beats to start an impromptu playground party! Invite kids to experiment with different striking techniques and join in the fun.

Benefits of the Marimba:

• Enhances Concentration and Memory: Since marimba playing relies heavily on muscle and ear memory, it benefits children’s concentration skills. Kids pay more attention to each beat, so they can recall and build on it later.

• Encourages Cooperation: Like most outdoor playground musical instruments, the marimba is communal. Kids play together, learn together, and have fun together. Social learning can be incredibly motivating, and nowhere is this truer than a musical playground.

Additional Outdoor Musical Instruments at Freenotes

Apart from these well-known playground musical instruments, Freenotes also offers:

Crotales

Also known as antique cymbals, crotales are tuned brass or bronze disks that can produce a range of tones. At Freenotes, we call them Lilypad Cymbals. They’re available in two colors (green and silver) and come with three mallets.

You can combine crotales with other outdoor musical playground instruments to create a full arrangement! Let each child pick an instrument they like and watch as they work as a team to blend different tones.

Another idea would be to install crotales along pathways or trails within the playground. This way, children can create melodies by striking the disks as they move along.

Tuning Forks

A typical tuning fork is a two-pronged steel bar that resonates at a consistent, perfect pitch when struck. It’s meant to help musicians tune their instruments to their desired notes.

But Freenotes’s tuning fork is different. It’s in a league of its own.

The massive Titan Tines can be a stately addition to any musical park. The Titan Tines are arranged in dual arcs of tuning forks spread over four octaves. This gigantic outdoor playground musical instrument produces a mix of 17 ringing notes in the bass, alto, and soprano ranges.

We recommend using the Titan Tines as the centerpiece of grand ensemble performances in your outdoor music space. You can also use it to introduce kids to the fundamentals of pitch, harmony, and resonance.

Get a Quote for Musical Playground Equipment

At Freenotes, our instruments are designed to delight kids (and adults) of all ages and abilities. Whether you are installing a few outdoor musical instruments in your local community space or creating an entire theme park, we have what you need to bring your vision to life.

Ready to make music together? Get premium, robust, all-weather outdoor musical playground instruments from Freenotes Harmony Park. Reach out to us today!