SONOR Altenpflege Ansicht ENGLISCH

Orff
Music in
Care
Facilities
sonor.com

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About us...
Over 140 years of experience and our unrelenting enthusiasm for
innovation and quality have contributed to the enviable reputation
of SONOR percussion instruments. Our commitment has turned
SONOR GmbH, a manufacturer from Bad Berleburg-Aue in North
Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), into a household name. It all began in
the year 1875, in a small workshop where Johannes Link, a trained
wood turner and tanner, made his drumheads and built simple
military drums. Thanks to his pioneering spirit, his little outfit quickly
turned into a flourishing business. In the 1950s, in line with the
growing momentum of the Orff approach in Germany, the Link family
collaborated with Prof. Hans Bergese, one of Carl Orff’s students,
to create advanced instruments for elemental music-making. This
marked the beginning of a new era.
The Link family did not stop there: it also pioneered a number of
advanced musical-training concepts. It is this tradition that the
SONOR brand has been nurturing until this very day, with trailblazing
educational ideas and innovative developments on the percussion
front. This includes elderly care where we were among the first to
advocate musical training for supporting staff and caregivers based
on Orff instruments, because we saw their potential as effective
geronto-prophylactic and therapeutic tools.
We are proud of our long history and greatly indebted to the Link
family’s vision. And we hereby pledge that the SONOR brand will
always remain synonymous with time-honored tradition, innovation,
quality and service. We will keep striving to match our instruments to
your expectations as a means of supporting your invaluable workand
your desire to put a smile on the face of every person who (re)discovers
the joy of making music.
Yours, Kristin Weimann, Product Manager,
and the entire SONOR team.
Contents
Orff in Elderly Care 4
Colors Replace Notes 6
Chime Bars 8
Xylophones/Metallophones 10
Drums 16
Small Percussion 24
Sustainability 28
Cooperation 30

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„Music begins in
the individual.” Carl Orff
Orff Instruments in
Elderly Care.
According to Carl Orff (a German composer and music educator, 1895~1982),
music is one of the most fundamental means of expression of human
beings.
In the 1950s, Orff developed the notion of “elemental music-making”
and designed instruments to cater to that aspiration. These instruments
encourage individuals to make music and are collectively known as Orff
instruments. “Elemental” should not be mistaken for “simple”—it refers to
the “essence”, i.e. what is inherent to an individual and can be revealed to
the outside world through music. Orff’s starting point was to encourage
individuals to be creative, spontaneous, imaginative and inventive to
help them develop their own personality. Shared experiences are more
important than the learning process, creativity and imagination rank much
higher than notes or technical exercises.
Orff instruments offer the benefit of being intuitive and
accessible to everyone. Orff instruments are so easy to play that
beginners enjoy their musical endeavor from the very first note.
In addition, they allow senior citizens to enjoy themselves, be
creative and meet equally interesting people. Caregivers only
need to know a few tricks and notions to share this wonderful
musical experience with small and larger groups.
Everybody is welcome: Orff instruments comprise melodic
instruments, like xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels,
as well as a diverse range of small percussion instruments. Even
people with motor impairments, in a wheelchair or confined to
bed can play them.
Orff instruments are ideally suited for active music therapy.
Music is used in this context to encourage all persons present to
join in. Group members are invited to play an active part instead
of just watching. This requires motor activity (holding mallets,
hitting sound bars), language and listening skills (singing along,
listening to others) and the participants’ emotional and creative
input (shaping one’s own contribution).
Even on an elemental level senior citizens can benefit in a
number of ways from the exposure to active music making.
Music is entertaining, a welcome distraction, it allows individuals
to express emotions, it is experienced as something worthwhile,
it comforts you, it creates enjoyment and it helps you express
what cannot be put into words. In addition, playing music helps
individuals to make contact with their fellows, to communicate
with them and to build a group spirit.
Used purposefully, music even allows to communicate with
people with dementia when language alone no longer works. It
elicits feelings, activates memories and provides countless ways
of expressing oneself.
„Frequent contact
with music gives
people’s lives a sense of
meaning and purpose.
Unlike other activities,
it leads to something.”
Sabine Schwarz, caregiver at the
Riepenblick senior citizen residence,
Hameln (Germany)

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Music Based on Colors
Countless songs are based on not even a handful of chords. To assist people
without any musical training, SONOR educators have developed a concept
for playing and showing how to play simple accompaniments. The colors red,
green and blue are used for the basic C-major, F-major and G-major chords.
Sound bars and notes are assigned to these chords based on this color
scheme and are therefore easily recognizable. This allows even beginners to
grasp which notes belong to which chord.

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No Instrument is as Flexible
as Chime Bars…
Some of our chime bars already come in the colors red, green and blue. The
concept can easily be applied to all xylophones, metallophones, chime bars
and glockenspiels using colored stickers.
Chime Bars
Chime bars are sonic elements that produce a single note. They are available
with a wooden, Palisono (an alternative to wood developed by SONOR)
or metal bar. SONOR has models ranging from soprano to sub-contra
bass. They can be used as single-note accompaniment instruments or for
rhythmic accents. As an alternative, they can be assembled to multi-note
instruments for those who’d rather play melodies. Thanks to their flexibility,
they are immensely popular among teachers, therapists and caregivers.

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Musical achievements
with simple concepts

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Walking Xylophones Xylophones
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Want to play music in a circle or do you coach sitting would-be musicians?
With the walking xylophone, you enjoy maximum flexibility. Attach it to one
arm using the strap and play with your other hand—even while you walk
around. This is the ideal solution for music education and music therapy.
Xylophones have a warm, velvety sound. They are easy to play and look gorgeous.
This probably explains why they are so popular among senior citizens. Their short
note duration makes xylophones perfect for groups with multiple players. For
beginning senior citizens, we recommend the alto xylophone with its medium
range. Soprano and deep-bass xylophones can be added for accents and as an
accompaniment.
Xylophones made of Palisono have one decisive advantage over those made of
wood: They are not hygroscopic. The tuning is resistant to temperature variations or
changes in humidity. Cleaning the bars with disinfectant or dampish tissues as well
as a temporary storage of the instruments in cool rooms is no problem at all.

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Metallophones
Metallophones are characterized by their
room-filling sound and the long duration of
their notes. We recommend using a single
metallophone and playing long, sustained
notes that bring out the best in its magic,
fascinating sound. This also avoids harmonic
frictions.

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O r ff

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Timpani
Screw Timpani
Timpani are drum instruments that can be tuned
to a specific pitch. This also means that their tuning
can be adjusted if climate factors cause the head to
lose some its tension. Screw timpani on a stand can
be retuned using the tension screws on the rim.
Rotary timpani, on the other hand, can be tuned
simply by turning the shell.
Timpani are available with both synthetic and
natural skin heads. In an elderly care environment,
synthetic heads offer the advantage that they can
easily be cleaned. Plus, their tension tends to remain
fairly stable when the timpani are used in locations
with significant differences in temperature.
Rotary Timpani
Timpani
Apart from being perfectly suited for music
therapy, timpani are among the favorite
instruments of senior citizens. Their deep,
room-filling sound creates an impressive
effect and tends to provide players and their
audience with a sense of security.

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Drums
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Hand
Hand drums are popular across all generations. Easy and intuitive to play, they are the
perfect beginner’s instruments. In a care environment, hand drums are often played with
a mallet by those lacking the strength to hit them with their hands. In addition, they are
used for sonic experiments based on circular motion, scratching and wiping the head.
Available in a variety of sizes, hand drums are the perfect complement to a music group.
They are available with a synthetic or natural skin head.
Tambourines
Tambourines are hand drums fitted with
jingle pairs. They can be played either like
a frame drum or by shaking them, or hitting
their wooden frame, to make them jingle.

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Latin
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Street Congas
Street Congas are used in a variety
of musical genres. The sound holes
at the end of the shell ensure perfect
sound quality when they are placed
on the floor, which makes them
ideally suited for drum circles of
senior citizens who cannot tilt them
and hold them between the legs.
The carrying strap allows the group’s
coach to play this type of conga
standing up.
Percussion
Instruments from Latin America are a welcome addition to the classic Orff range, not least
because they have an “exotic” flair. Even though they do not allow to play melodies or different
pitches, their sonic range is much wider than that of traditional European instruments.
They are mainly used to accompany or copy exciting rhythms likely to boost the group’s
dynamics or liveliness. Depending on the situation, such rhythms can be turned into complex
musical phrases and may even encourage players to improvise.
Cajones
Bongos
The cajón (Spanish for box or crate) is
a box-shaped percussion instrument
originally from Peru. Its sound is similar
to that of a drum and it is hit with the
hands of the player who sits on it.
Bongos are small, open-bottomed Cuban
drums that come in pairs: a smaller and
a larger one. They are the highest-pitched
natural-skin instruments of the Latin
percussion family and are often used as
solo instruments.

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SMALL PERCUSSION
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New Perspectives
Small percussion instruments offer a host of expansion options for a sonically
diverse ensemble. They tend to contribute to a lively atmosphere.
Their applications are sheer infinite: they are often used to add a sense of
rhythm or to accentuate specific passages. And they are equally suited for
stand-alone rhythm sections and for improvising based on creative elements.
Ask your group, for instance, which sounds or animals the instrument reminds
them of—you will be surprised by their imagination and the perceptions that
these kinds of associations trigger.
It is always a good idea to have a bunch of small-percussion instruments on
hand to be able to invite newcomers or relatives to join in.

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Small percussion instruments made of metal produce a
high-pitched sound that tends to stimulate all members of
the group. Used sparingly, they allow to emphasize certain
themes.

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Sustainability
Energy and Recycling
Our heating system is fired with wood scraps or pellets—an effective
way of producing green energy. The system meets the most exacting
standards, and exhaust gases are filtered in an environment-friendly way.
Still, climate protection and saving energy only scratch the surface of our
operations. Our marketing department, for instance, uses climate-neutral
printing processes for its catalogs and flyers and only works with certified
printing houses.
Responsible Use of Materials
Wood is a natural resource, and it is used in most
of our instruments. Trees are a critical element
for our ecological balance. We therefore need
to ensure that the wood we use is sourced from
responsible suppliers. Ask for our FSC ® -certified
products!
To us, sustainability also means
spending today thinking about
tomorrow’s music.
Sustainability and Spare Parts
Of course we want users to enjoy our instruments for as long as possible.
Unfortunately, sound bars and other hardware components may get
lost, heads are damaged or pins wear out. This should never affect the
enjoyment of active music making. This is why we have a huge range of
accessories and spare parts. In most instances, users can fix the problem
themselves and go on using the instrument in question without spending
a fortune.
Environment-Friendly Finishes
We use water-soluble and hence environment-friendly lacquers rather
than pickle lacquers. That is not just for environmental considerations
but also out of the desire to protect the health of our staff and users
worldwide. Furthermore, we have been using an environment-friendly
finish called Proterra since 2004. It is made of shellac, oil and carnauba
wax.
Responsibility to Our Society
As a manufacturer of musical instruments, one of our missions is to
encourage people to discover the benefits of music. For this reason,
SONOR supports a host of projects, initiatives and associations in
this area. As such, we sponsor up to 50 seminars a year centered
on music education training of teachers, educators and mentors in
schools, kindergartens and social institutions.

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In collaboration with:
Wir Sind Altenpflege e.V.
Im Mediapark 5
50670 Cologne (Germany)
02737 - 22 698 54
mail@wir-sind-altenpflege.de
www.wir-sind-altenpflege.de

www.sonor.com
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©2016 SONOR GmbH – Catalog OR 01112016 D
Product design: Karl-Heinz Menzel, Wolfgang Schmitz, Kristin Weimann
Editorial content: Kristin Weimann
Layout: Armando Verano | Marketing & Design
Product shots: Martin Kreutter, Marburg
Portraits of senior citizens: macadamiaFilm - Filmproduktion&Fotografie
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Riepenblick
senior citizen residence in Hameln (Germany) and the members of the
Remi-Demi Orchestra.
SONOR reserves the right to make modifications to its products without
prior notice. Wood is a natural resource. Differences in color and grain
are therefore likely.