A-Star is very popular and a great option within schools and the education sector. They produce instruments that are strong, well-made and will help students to explore different sounds. An example of this is the wooden percussion that we offer. They are great for exploring different sounds and tones that wood produces when used in different ways. In schools, this is a great way to teach students about creativity, culture and also history.
Latin & African Percussion
Latin and African music typically consists of percussion such as djembes and bongos. They can be played in many wonderful ways, such as hitting with the palm of the hand or with the fingertips. They can be played loud or quiet, hard or soft, and many other ways. There is no limit to what you can do with these. Therefore, they are great for exploring the different sounds and tones that different instruments can ultimately make. They are also great for learning about rhythm for beginners as there’s no technical knowledge required to play them. There is a wide range of djembes from
5 inch to
10 inch and all in-between, a
deep carved djembe and even a
mini djembe for those smaller hands. For use in the classroom, there are many packs ranging from
4 djembes,
6 djembes and all the way up to
20 djembes. The A-Star
bongos have a robust construction and are great for exploring the idea of different tones.
Agogos & Guiros
These instruments generally need a beater to produce a noise. There are endless ways to play the agogo and guiros, so have a go and see what wonderful sounds you can make. Hit or scrape the
guiros with the included beaters to create different tones, volumes and textures. The
agogos often include more than one pitch to play with, such as the
2 tone agogo or
3 tone agogo, or even our new
tiktok.
Woodblocks such as the
T-bar woodblock are also great for exploring different sounds and rhythms, and how they can be combined to create great music.
Claves & Castanets
Unlike the latter, these instruments do not require a beater. Very simple to use, both claves and castanets are great for all ages. Experiment with different sounds and tones by playing each instrument differently. There are a range of happy colours of claves to help encourage you to play, including
blue,
green,
red,
yellow and
natural. For those bigger groups and classes, why not get the pack of
10 pairs or even
30 pairs. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Take a look at our new
world claves, made from sustainable timber; learn about sounds as well as Latin culture. Create the classic sound of Spain with some
wooden castanets and have a dance around, or have a go with the
handled castanets. Bet you never thought of that, ey!
Weird & Wonderful, Wooden Percussion
Let’s delve deep into the world of wooden percussion. Have you ever heard of the
animal clapper, a chatter box (no, not someone who talks a lot), a
kokiriko, or even a slapstick whip-crack? They all sound very strange right? That’s even more of a reason to explore these instruments and see what sounds they can produce. Experiment with different sounds on the
frog scraper, go wild with a
ratchet, or make a dramatic entrance with the
thunder drum.
