8-Key Glockenspiel with Mallets

An eight-note glockenspiel is one of the easiest routes into pitched music that exists. Each aluminium bar is colour coded, so a complete beginner can follow a simple colour chart and play a recognisable tune before learning to read a single note of notation. The full octave covers the great majority of nursery melodies, folk tunes and early lesson material, which keeps a child engaged past the first afternoon.

The bars are mounted on a compact frame that sits flat and stable on a table or across a lap, so it does not slide away mid-phrase. The wooden mallets have rounded heads that draw a clear, ringing tone out of the metal without the harsh attack a hard plastic tip produces. It is light enough for a child to carry between rooms unaided and small enough to live on a shelf rather than disappearing into storage.

It works in a classroom setting, at home for practice between lessons, and as a first instrument for a child who has started showing an interest in music. It contains small parts and loose mallets, so keep younger children supervised during play and store the mallets with the instrument.

• 8 colour-coded aluminium bars
• Includes wooden mallets
• Compact tabletop frame
• Adult supervision recommended for young children