Kindergarten & School

Music strengthens

Making music together promotes social competence, awareness of oneself and others, strengthens confidence and communication, motor skills, intelligence and personal development.

Allton supports the joy of making music together by offering simple and robust instruments, suitable for everyday use. We are happy to advise you on the selection of instruments from our own workshop as well as recommendable instruments by other European manufacturers.

We offer specialised furniture for rest, “snoezelen” and relaxation rooms in kindergarten and school. We also can assist you in planning and designing such rooms.

…are inviting playing stations for self-expression and shared intuitive music-making. These outdoor sound objects are also manufactured in our own workshop!

“Rhythmic-musical education promotes cognitive and sensomotoric development as well as social competence and personality. In order to be able to interact musically with children, adults, senior citizens and people with disabilities, instruments that can be played intuitively are important. In order to activate holistically it should be easy to create tones, sounds and noises with the instruments. The common experience and feeling of self-efficacy, the promotion of creativity is the focus of the musical work, which is integrated in a methodical-didactic framework for the respective target group.”
Sabine Hirler, M.A., rhythmics teacher, music pedagogue and music therapist, author and speaker, Hadamar — for information about further education, see www.sabinehirler.de

We are also convinced that the of music schools is very important. For that reason we are a member of the VdM – Verband deutscher Musikschulen (federation of german music schools).

Intuitively playable music instruments

ALLTON offers musical instruments suitable for children. Easy to play and sounding in harmony they simply make you want more.

…(developed by ourselves — ALLTON) invites you to listen to each other, develop a feeling for rhythm and practice playful communication.

…are arranged to be very inviting and highly suitable for rhythm games while promoting sensomotoric activities at the same time.

…like singing bowls, small monochords, Kalimba, etc. are a valuable addition for listening and feeling sounds. The “Sabine Hirtler Set” contains both components.

Another popular item are Boomwhackers — colorful tubes in motion, especially suited for teenagers and young adults: “The colorful, precisely tuned ‘Boomwhackers’ are perfectly suited for combining music with movement. They are a wonderful medium to promote the concentration ability of children/young people ‘without words’ and to develop communication skills in a playful way while also conveying musical knowledge ‘on the side’. Furthermore: The whole class can make music together without it getting too loud…” Nina Herwig, certified music pedagogue, certified sports teacher, Cologne – for more information see ninaherwig.de

Sound cradle for body awareness

All too often there is a lack of relaxation, even in kindergarten, which often leads to restlessness, nervousness and a lack of concentration. This is where the relaxation and perception concept of the Allton Sound Cradle comes into play. The Sound Cradle is a combination of a musical instrument and robustly built relaxation furniture.

In the cradle, children can receive and enjoy an amazing sound experience with many senses, feel their body and find inner peace. Relaxation and mindfulness must also be learned and practiced! With the sound cradle, regular sound and silence exercises with the monochord, singing bowls, rain stick etc., children can find rest more easily and become more balanced, refreshed and fit for further learning processes for the rest of the day.

Sound cradle for Kindergarten use

We have set up a “snoezel room” (relaxation room) in our day care centre. It helps to improve the sensitive perception while also relaxing and playing quietly. Exactly for this purpose the sound cradle KL130 was conceived. Children can sit it or lie down. Staying inside this instrument can be a very intensive experience, as the sound is first transferred to the body of the sound cradle and then to the interior by plucking and playing the strings.
The vibrations are throughout the whole body. Children enjoy the direct physical contact and experience the vibrations as beneficial. They pluck by themselves or let others do it. At the same time, the cradle can be moved and swayed. The cradle can also be turned over to create a “sound tunnel”. The children experience the vibrations together, on and under the cradle.”

Monika Nordheim, Kassel, Kindertagesstätte Wolfhager Str.

Förderung in Schulen durch Rhythmusschulung

“My rhythm trainings help students to become aware of the feeling for each other and with each other. To be able to respond to others in a social way, the rhythm of the other person must be recognised and respected.”
“These rhythmic exercises promote mindfulness, the students can better perceive themselves and others in the room. In the long term, the better organization of time is encouraged and the speed of thought and action is synchronized. Rhythm instruments and drums are ideal for teaching.”

Jürgen Lehmann, rhythm pedagogue, Sambaristi, Bad Wildungen

Sound-relaxation island for Kindergarten

Andreas Biermann is an educator with heart and soul. He is passionate about producing music as a balance to the daily routine at the daycare center.

The increasing need for relaxation among kindergarten children prompted him to develop a relaxation island for children and set it up in his kindergarten. After an additional qualification as a relaxation pedagogue for children and young people, he now produces child-oriented relaxation music. This music is successfully used in the day-to-day life of the kindergarten when the children need to relax.

In 2015 he got to know the vibro-acoustic sound couch “Klangwoge” by Allton and the deep relaxing effect made a lasting impression on him. On the Klangwoge the music becomes physically perceptible. This effect will significantly improve the relaxing effect and round off the overall concept. In cooperation with Caspar Harbeke the system of the ‘Kita-Relaxation-Island’ was developed. In an in-depth process, natural sounds (water splashing, birds chirping…) and long-sounding musical instruments (like monochord, singing bowls, gongs, percussion) were recorded. These recordings form the basis of the harmonic compositions. The result is a pleasant, natural sound image. The reproduction in spatial surround format enables an intensive listening experience.

The sound podium with the loudspeaker system allows the music not only to be heard but also to be felt. This allows several children to lie on the podium at the same time. The podium vibrating to the music relaxes the muscles and directs attention inwards. Sometimes I feel the music in my hands, sometimes in my upper body or in my legs. The children can relax more easily and gain strength for new activities and learning processes. This way, their personal perception and action skills improve and they can strengthen their health on their own responsibility.

Andreas Biermann has compiled suggestions for relaxation in kindergarten in a practical book suitable for everyday use. He enjoys passing on his experience to colleagues in the kindergarten area in further training courses.