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!

​Papilio Outdoor Metallophone takes flight!

Percussion Play are delighted to introduce a new metallophone into their range of outdoor musical instruments. The Papilio is our largest single instrument, yet as the pictures show its suitable for all, from tiny tots to elders.

Firstly, why is it called Papilio? Papilio is Latin for Butterfly. The word Papilio was used as the genus name or every known species of butterfly in the world. The shape of our Papilio outdoor musical instrument resembles a giant butterfly, hence the name.

What's a metallophone? Any musical instrument consisting of tuned metal bars that are struck to make a sound. The most recognised metallophone is the Glockenspiel and relatives of the glock include the saron, bell lyre, fangxiang and the gender. Metallophones have been played in eastern Asia for more than 1,000 years and were first mentioned in Europe in the middle of the 18th century.

How does it work? The 32 tuned metal keys are anodised aluminium tubes, suspended by...


Valentines Fun Using Your Outdoor Music Instruments

Harness your inner cupid and fill your class with lots of love this Valentine's Day! Try something a little out of the (heart-shaped) box this year, wrap up warm and go into the playground and use your outdoor musical instruments to celebrate Valentine's Day. Here are a few child-friendly Valentine songs to help you on your way!

I’m a Little Cupid (To the tune of ” I’m a Little Teapot) I’m a little Cupid, as you know Here is my arrow, here is my bow When I pull the string back, watch it go Sending love to those below.

Love, Love, Love (Sung to: '3 Blind Mice') Love, love, love, love, love, love See how it grows, See how it grows. I love my friends and they love me. We love each other that's plain to see. We’re like one great big family. Love, love, love.

Five Little Valentines 5 little valentines waiting in the store (Child's name) bought one, and then there were 4. 4 little valentines for you and for me (Child's name) bought one, and then there...


Unlock Your Rhythm: Explore the World of the Cajón

The Cajón (pronounced Ka-hone; short A, long O) is a member of the percussion family and is growing in popularity very quickly. It is said to have originated in the 1800's among the Peruvian slaves from West and Central Africa as a substitute for the prohibited African drums. The name means "a box," and it's said that the first Cajóns were the boxes used by the fruit pickers or fishermen along the Peruvian and Cuban coastal regions. Simple and effective, these Peruvian slaves used the crates or boxes to tap out a beat. Expert players from Peru are called Cajóneros or Cajónistas.

Our version is based on the traditional Cuban/Peruvian drums, however, as with all Percussion Play instruments we needed our Cajóns to be perfect for outdoor, all weather performances. Therefore, the resonating box is made from stainless steel, perfect for all year outdoor use yet still very responsive and easy to play. Etched with a tribal pattern, our Cajons are attractive, very stable, and can even double...


Welcome to the New Percussion Play Website

If you’ve visited our site before, you may notice that a few things have changed. Rather charming new design and layout? Correct! Slightly different navigation? Correct! Different colour scheme? Correct! The same fantastic outdoor musical instruments for everyone, everywhere? Correct!

We’d like to introduce our newly redesigned website to you. Fundamentally we’re still the same Percussion Play with the same great products but all slightly more shiny and hopefully a bit clearer. We set out to refresh our appearance, hoping to bring you a website that you can easily navigate and regularly visit.

If you’ve not visited our site before, then hello! We welcome new visitors with open arms. Please do have a look around and if you like what you see you can also follow us on our various social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google+. Please do follow, subscribe, like, encircle us and say hello.

Our Blog (where you are now) is obviously another way to connect...


Music & Movement: World Nursery Rhyme Week

This week has been World Nursery Rhyme Week (10-14th November). A week-long celebration promoting the importance of nursery rhymes to the under 5’s.

Songs and rhymes for young children have been passed down for generations. They are fun, children love them, and they provide a warm, nurturing experience between parent and child. What we may not be aware of as we recite simple nursery rhymes or sing songs with children is they’re not just for fun, they have enormous educational value.

Short and sweet, they help children to learn language formation. They contribute to a child's spatial development when used with music and movement. Nursery rhymes also contain moral lessons to teach and are great for introducing counting and animal sounds.

When children hear nursery rhymes, they hear the sounds vowels and consonants make. They learn how to put these sounds together to make words. They also practice pitch, volume, and voice inflection, as well as the rhythm of language. Children...


Fun Halloween Activity for the Outdoor Music Classroom

Here is a fun Halloween music activity that you can do with your class using your outdoor musical instruments that will teach rhythm while scaring the pants off them! Sounds thrilling? Take a look!

It is a familiar game, similar to ‘What’s The Time Mr Wolf’, but with musical instruments, uses listening skills and has a Halloween twist!

Their task — or the "trick" — is to match the rhythm with the character shown on the cards.

A little preparation is required. Before playing the game you need to print the rhythm cards from the Halloween rhythm sheet below. Mount the sheet on card and cut it into five, for the different characters.

Spend a little time teaching, demonstrating and practicing each character’s rhythm, so that the children can begin to recognise which character is which.

How to Play: Place the cards into a bag or hat and place it near the outdoor musical instruments. One child is chosen to be the ‘witch’ and sits a little way from the musical instruments. The...