Welcome to the Percussion Play Blog
We hope you'll be a regular visitor as we share stories about the instruments we make and the people who play them.
This is where we share our passion for music in the great outdoors! We'll share with you details of exciting new outdoor music projects and designs from around the globe. We'll share with you information about the instruments we sell and a little about the inspiration behind them
Most importantly, this blog is about what we love to do the most - help you create new and exciting ways to bring music to the great outdoors.
Thank you for reading, visiting, commenting and contributing - we’re excited to have you here!
Association of Children's Museums 'Win a Cavatina' Winner Announced
To celebrate our first attendance at InterActivity (the Association of Children's Museums' annual conference and the largest gathering of children's museum professionals worldwide), Percussion Play offered ACM members the chance to win a Rainbow Cavatina and 4-Song Music Book worth over $5000 for their chosen Children's Museum.
We received over 200 entries, and the lucky winner was drawn at random following a hugely successful expo and evening drinks reception held at the prestigious Louisiana Children's Museum.
Co-Founder Robin Ashfield contacted the lucky winner - Leah Oppenheimer, Director of Outreach at the Children's Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, New York - to tell her the good news.
Robin tells us "When I spoke to Leah and told her that she had won the prize, she was absolutely delighted. She told me that she had been teaching underprivileged kids for the last 20 years, many of whom don’t...
Evening Reception Held for Children's Museum Professionals
On a perfect New Orleans evening, the Louisiana Children’s Museum made a memorable setting for a drinks reception to celebrate the close of the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) InterActivity 2023. Percussion Play invited attendees for a glass of Pimms on the museum’s outdoor music area, ‘the music hummock,’ which is home to no less than eleven Babel Drums alongside the new Liberty Bells and Cattail Chimes.
The evening allowed the team from Percussion Play (a Business Supporter of the ACM) to demonstrate the outdoor musical instruments and take the time to discuss the benefits of outdoor musical play with the children's museum professionals. The two new 'Inspired by Nature' instruments, are both perfect for playful interactions along nature trails, as stand-alone exhibits, or incorporated...
Helping Children's Museums Provide Musical Experiences - InterActivity 2023
We are thrilled to exhibit at InterActivity 2023 in New Orleans this year. InterActivity is the Association of Children's Museums' annual conference and the largest gathering of children's museum professionals worldwide.
If you’re visiting ACM InterActivity in New Orleans, why not stop by to see and play a selection of our outdoor musical instruments while we explain how providing musical experiences for family audiences (indoors or out) is a valuable way to advance a thriving museum’s mission, expand its audience, and strengthen its place within the community.
You can find us at Booth #55 or just follow your ears!
You will also be able to enter our ACM Competition for a chance to win a Cavatina Outdoor Xylophone and Music Book for your museum, worth over $5000.
Finally, we are delighted to invite all guests attending the evening reception at the Louisiana Children's Museum...
Global Intergenerational Week 25 April
To celebrate Global Intergenerational Week starting on April 25, Percussion Play is highlighting the benefits of music in promoting intergenerational play in the great outdoors.
Research shows communities can be strengthened when young and old bond through play. It reduces isolation and loneliness and can help improve health and mental well-being. It’s also beneficial in reducing ageism.
Percussion Play’s instruments are used in settings around the world, such as parks, trails, and libraries, and they are consistently highlighted as bringing together people of all ages. With instruments that are tuned pentatonically, there are no ‘wrong notes.’ Any combination of notes played sounds harmonious – this is especially important when young children experiment with creating music.
Jody Ashfield, Founder and CEO of Percussion Play, said: “Play settings featuring outdoor musical instruments in parks, playgrounds, and family attractions demonstrate how music can bring...
Creative Musical Workshop to Enhance the Inclusivity of Outdoor Musical Instruments Takes Place at the RSBC
Percussion Play, The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), and The Amber Trust have facilitated a creative musical workshop with vision-impaired children and young adults to make outdoor musical instruments more accessible.
The discovery workshop was held today (April 12, 2023) during the charity's Easter program at the RSBC’s Life Without Limits Centre in London. Led by Gennie Joy, Music Practitioner with The Amber Trust, 12 children and young adults were joined by their families to enjoy discovering Percussion Play’s range of outdoor musical instruments, which include the Rainbow Chimes, Babel Drums, Rainbow Trio Bongos, Cyclone, Tubular Bells, Flower Bells, Cavatina and Harmony xylophone. The participants and their families will give feedback on the instruments to make them more inclusive for vision-impaired children and young adults.
Percussion Play will then use this feedback to inform its ongoing product development for greater inclusivity for vision-impaired people,...
Celebrating National Park Week 2023 with Music
In honor of National Park Week, starting on April 22, we highlight how outdoor musical instruments can make perfect additions to parks, bringing music to outdoor spaces worldwide. People of all ages and abilities can play and enjoy them, promoting intergenerational play and inclusivity.
It is well-known that playing musical instruments lifts people’s moods and creates a powerful sense of well-being, and it has long been shown to significantly improve communication for those with a wide range of disabilities and health conditions. Being outside also enhances our mood - the positive effects of being outdoors can be significant.
The benefits of playing music outside can be seen at Verdugo Park, a beloved park in the City of Burbank, California, close to the glamour of major Hollywood film studios. It has recently been given a public artwork facelift with a mural and interactive sound sculptures,...