Award winning, seasonal attraction York Maze Creates Musical Maze

The team at York Maze knew they wanted to create something special amongst the tall circles of maize they had planted last year. They were keen to provide a sensory activity that was more laid back and inclusive than the adventure park and physical activities they offered elsewhere.
As the maize grew, they installed Percussion Play’s instruments in early Summer. The long, hot summer of 2022 saw both children and adults exploring the maze, discovering a range of instruments hidden in different areas.

The concentric circles of maize created pathways that led to small areas where the instruments were mounted on oversized aluminum platforms. Due to the maize growing high, the instruments were hidden from sight, but the chimes and bells could be heard across the fields.

Tom Pearcy, director of York Maze, says, “it was great having the instruments separated as they could be played by different groups, but together. It brought strangers together to create music. They were all within earshot of each other, and with the instruments tuned to the pentatonic scale, it all sounded so nice and calming. I particularly love the Tembos”.

One of the reasons why York Maze chose instruments was because they could be played independently with no staff being needed to supervise. Being mounted, the instruments could also be moved and placed in storage over the winter after the maize was harvested.

The collection of instruments selected by York Maze were; Bell Lyre, Handpipes, large Babel Drum, Harmony Flowers, Harmony Bells, Rainbow Bongos, Calypso Quatro Post, Petal Drums, Harmony Flowers, Calypso Chimes, , Tutti, and Tembos

Next year the team plans to replant the maize and bring the instruments out again for all to enjoy.