Why the xylophone?

The xylophone (and metallophone) is a core Kodály and Orff instrument. Its removable bars let you set up an instrument that only plays the notes children know, so pupils can accompany, improvise and compose successfully from their first lessons.

Holding the mallets

• Pinch the mallet between thumb and index finger, about a third of the way up from the head.
• Curl the other fingers loosely around the shaft — never a tight fist.
• Strike from the wrist with a bouncing motion; let the head rebound off the bar so the note rings.
• Use one mallet per hand for bordun patterns; advanced players learn to hold two per hand for chords.

The pentatonic trick

Lift off the fa and ti bars. The remaining bars — do, re, mi, sol, la — form the pentatonic scale. Because there are no clashing half-steps, any combination of these bars sounds pleasant together. Children can play any bar at any time while the class sings, and nothing will sound wrong.

Bordun accompaniment patterns

A bordun is a steady repeating accompaniment on do and sol. Try these patterns under a singing game (one beat = one mallet strike):

• Level bordun: do–sol–do–sol, steady beat on every bar.
• Broken bordun: do–sol–la–sol, a gentle moving pattern.
• Chord bordun: do and sol struck together on the beat.

Classroom activities

• Accompaniment: a small group plays a bordun while the class sings a known song.
• Question and answer: one child plays a four-beat pentatonic “question”, another replies.
• Composition: children arrange four or eight pentatonic bars into a short melody and notate it with stick notation.
• Rotation: swap players every verse so everyone gets a turn.