Once kids are past the age of banging on an overturned pot and wooden spoon,they can now move onto something more melodious than a simple percussion instrument. And while their fingers may not yet be big enough to tickle the ivories, they can make some beautiful music with this new and very cool toy from one of our favorite little toy companies, B. Toys.
The Symphony in B. Orchestra puts a mini orchestra into the hands of your little musician, and it is one of those toys that is so neat, I find myself playing with it all the time. (And you know we’re very picky about plastic toys.)
Thirteen instruments sit nestled around the orchestra “pit”. Pick from one to six instruments to place on the middle steps and chose between fifteen songs to hear. I can’t do that kind of math, but there are about a gajillion different combinations that you can make, from a single trumpet tooting to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, to a sitar and drum combo playing a quiet Brahm’s Lullaby.
As with so many other toys from B. Toys, it’s their attention to detail that makes this so special. Each instrument is detailed in BPA-free, phthalate-free plastic down to the tiny keys on the piano. The names of the instruments are printed on them which is so very helpful for kids who want to know what they are hearing.
For each song, kids can push a button to see which instruments are the “melody instruments” and which are the “accompaniment”. I think this gives kids a better understanding of the role of individual instruments in an orchestra.
While rated for ages 3+, you may want to lend preschoolers a hand in putting the instruments back in their spot when finished playing. Some of the shapes can be a bit tricky to fit, and I found my niece using brute force to push her pieces into place. I suppose now is as good a time as ever to teach kids to be gentle with all instruments.
I am so thankful that all thirteen instruments fit neatly inside the base for storage so that we aren’t hunting for them all the time. And hooray for auto-shut off, because nothing is more frustrating for a conductor than to call his instruments to attention, only to find out that the batteries are dead. –Christina
The Symphony in B. Orchestra from B. Toys is available online at Target.com.
As a professional musician, I would normally pan a music toy such as this, however, the fact that it goes beyond most music toys and helps a child distinguish between melody and accompaniment definitely gives it value. The huge number of combinations should give it staying power as well.
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Eds: Thanks for your input Rodney. Our publisher Kristen has a degree in music therapy and we too are picky about the musical toys we recommend. Our readers are free to click on the link with your name if they’d like more on your perspective at your website.
The idea is really appealing. Where do I find this? I thought a demo would have been great.
Cost?