Trial and Error with the Xylophone

Posted by Megan Kirk

First graders learned all about how to play the Xylophone today in music class – by doing just that! Before I gave any directions, I first gave students the opportunity to explore the instrument. Every student took a turn thinking about the following questions: How does the way I hold the mallet change the sound? How does where I hit the bar change the sound? What happens if I don’t let the mallet bounce when playing? After experimenting, the class discussed their findings and came up with the proper way to play this instrument. The xylophone sounds best when we hold the mallet with our index finger and thumb, gently wrapping around other fingers for support. Another important observation was that when the bar is hit in the center, and you allow the mallets to have bounce, the sound rings out of the instrument! The kids felt very empowered by coming up with these techniques based on their own observations through trial and error with the instrument.

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