Sad but true

I posted some time ago about the bell tree, one of my favourite instruments. A couple of year three classes (7 & 8 years old) are doing some imaginative work involving magic potions and I have been developing ways of supporting this with music. The bell tree is just right for this; it gives the perfect sound for the casting of a spell.

I don't have a bell tree of my own so was delighted to come across one in the school's music cupboard. It is a fine example, reminscent of a Victorian laboratory or a film set for a Sherlock Holmes movie. Unlike the one in the picture, borrowed from another school for a short while last spring, it is mounted in a hard-wood frame making holding it unnecessary and reducing the chances of it being dropped on some poor child's foot. Including, as it does, a fair amount of heavy brass in it's make-up it would hurt a lot and parents would be bound to ask where that nasty bruise came from.

So many schools I visit have very poor storage facilities for instruments. In this particular school the cupboard was big enough for what they had but the instruments were in disarray and the space was being encroached upon by unrelated materials and equipment including an enormous television on a trolley that made it hard to reach many of the shelves. Various objects, including an ornate wooden conductor's stand, spoke of former glories and present neglect.

I wasn't surprised to discover that the year 3 children had never seen the school's bell tree. They had only been there for a few months after all. What did surprise me was that children in year 5, who had spent more than two years at the place, had never seen it. I know a lot of primary school teachers shy away from music because of the noise and apparent chaos. Speaking to practitioners in other fields suggests that there are teachers equally reluctant to explore drama and even art, preferring to stay within their comfort zones but this is unnecessary.

While I can sympathise with this 'anything for a quiet life' attitude it is possible to explore music with children without ending up with over-excited children, frosty looks from the person trying to teach in the next room and splitting headache. It doesn't have to be a chaotic free-for-all and I shall share some approaches and techniques in the March edition of Playing With Sound, the free newsletter I put out once a month. In the mean time I intend to make the most of what's left of the half term holiday.

Bell Trees and Magic Beans

This week I'll be spending a day with a reception class, helping them tell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk with sound effects. I have a beautifully illustrated and laquered dulcimer from St Petersburgh, pictured below, that will do nicely for the giant's harp. And the school has some drums that will be perfect for giant footsteps. There are many opportunities for sound in the tale and a good deal of magic. I thought a whole tone scale (eg C D E F# G# Bb C), or part of one, played on chime bars (one child per note) would be very magical and I may still go for that. But then I was teaching woodwind at a school this morning and saw a bell tree that hasn't moved since last September.

I've loved bell trees since I first set eyes on one. They are satisfyingly solid and well-constructed and make a fabulous sound. They look like they haven't changed since some time in the 19th century, possibly earlier. I asked to borrow the bell tree and now have it for the week. It will provide all the magic Jack's handful of beans could require.


If you have one of these, or add one to your collection, don't be tempted to undo the wing nut on the end. You'll have a devil of a job putting it back together again; there is a plastic sleeve that decouples the brass bells from the central stalk and the end is prone to flaring. My advice is to leave well alone. And Health & Safety (sorry): these are heavy. If one lands on a child's foot that child is going to know about it.

The next day I'm doing We're Going On A Lion Hunt with another reception class. Fortunately I won't need the bell tree for that. My partner is using our car and the school is far enough on a bicycle without lugging around all that brass in my rucksack.