Stiftung Weizenkorn

Xyloba orchestra sounding ball track

Stiftung Weizenkorn
Xyloba orchestra sounding ball track
    259,00 €all prices incl. VAT., excl. shipping costs
    In stock, Delivery in 4-5 days

    General Information

    Xyloba. The Xylophone Runway.

    This marble runway made of untreated beechwood harbours hidden talents: Children, as well as adults (who also enjoy doing this), can make music with the Xyloba. Differently tuned plates like those in a xylophone are embedded in the framework of the runway. When the marble races down the runway through the tower, it bounces off the plates. Precise notes are produced which will even delight music virtuosos (the inventor of Xyloba is a professional musician).
    "Everything is possible, from simple children's songs to Mozart," its inventor, Samuel Langmeier, explains – which is what makes Xyloba so unusual. According to inclination, mood and skill, the builders can put together the plug-in construction any way they want. There are practically no limits to the configurations unless one runs out of parts. But the manufacturer offers a way out of this dilemma with kits of different sizes which can be combined and extended.

    Learning by playing with the sounding marble run.

    The way the builder selects and places the sound plates determines which melody is heard when the marble rolls down the runway. In addition, one can establish the length of the note by choosing longer or shorter sound plates which double as connectors for the towers. In this way, the children develop a sense of notes, beat and rhythm. Put another way, Xyloba visually supports the experience of a musical foundation, while training motor skills and spatial thinking.
    Setting up the high quality produced runway is intuitively simple because of the clever design. With the help of their parents, three year old children can discover rudimentary melodies. The recommended entry age is five years. The Xyloba kits called 'piccolino', 'mezzo' and 'orchestra' are recommended for beginners. The point here is to design the most varied tower constructions and become familiar with the first melodies. A composer's manual is included with the kit. There are many videos on the internet showing how to set up familiar melodies or create one's own compositions. Xyloba owners from around the world put themselves, their children, or their entire family on display, playing simple melodies or even complex musical pieces. Apparent that the solid construction puts no limit on building even tall runways with long sequences of notes. If there are enough Xyloba elements, a polyphonic effect can be created with parallel runways.

    A Resoundingly Good Idea.

    The idea to design a marble runway with integrated sounding plates came to Samuel Langmeier in a toy shop in Zürich. The Swiss chamber musician and composer found there on display a marble runway ending in sounding plates activated everytime the marbles rolled over them. In 1969 Langmeier went into action with several goals for his model of a runway in mind: the marbles had to strike the sounding plates cleanly, the sound elements had to be exchangeable, and the intervals had to be variable.
    The professional musician glued together wood for the first construction elements and hung the little sounding plates vertically. In order to participate in the 4th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 1975, he had his design patented. It was worth the effort because Langmeier's musical toy was awarded a Bronze Prize.

    The development goes on.

    The prototype for the Xyloba marble runway was created in the years that followed. First, Langmeier simplified the manufacturing process: Instead of glueing together the construction elements, he took one piece of wood and drilled out the hollow spaces. By inserting the sounding plates horizontally and fastening them with a bracket, he also improved the sound quality. Since Langmeier was at that point professionally preoccupied, he had no time to look for a manufacturer for his musical marble runway.

    The right manufacturer. The Weizenkorn Foundation.

    Many years later the Weizenkorn Foundation took over the production of Langmeier's musical toy and started to manufacture it in their sheltered workshop in Basel. More than 200 people who are not employable in the job market for psychological or psycho-social reasons work in this sheltered workshop. With just a few changes to Langmeier's prototype, the Weizenkorn Foundation's employees produce the building blocks for the Xyloba by hand from unprocessed beechwood.

    Xyloba. The Xylophone Runway.

    This marble runway made of untreated beechwood harbours hidden talents: Children, as well as adults (who also enjoy doing this), can make music with the Xyloba. Differently tuned plates like those in a xylophone are embedded in the framework of the runway. When the marble races down the runway through the tower, it bounces off the plates. Precise notes are produced which will even delight music virtuosos (the inventor of Xyloba is a professional musician).
    "Everything is possible, from simple children's songs to Mozart," its inventor, Samuel Langmeier, explains – which is what makes Xyloba so unusual. According to inclination, mood and skill, the builders can put together the plug-in construction any way they want. There are practically no limits to the configurations unless one runs out of parts. But the manufacturer offers a way out of this dilemma with kits of different sizes which can be combined and extended.

    Learning by Playing. The Sounding Marble Run.

    The way the builder selects and places the sound plates determines which melody is heard when the marble rolls down the runway. In addition, one can establish the length of the note by choosing longer or shorter sound plates which double as connectors for the towers. In this way, the children develop a sense of notes, beat and rhythm. Put another way, Xyloba visually supports the experience of a musical foundation, while training motor skills and spatial thinking.
    Setting up the high quality produced runway is intuitively simple because of the clever design. With the help of their parents, three year old children can discover rudimentary melodies. The recommended entry age is five years. The Xyloba kits called 'piccolino', 'mezzo' and 'orchestra' are recommended for beginners. The point here is to design the most varied tower constructions and become familiar with the first melodies. A composer's manual is included with the kit. There are many videos on the internet showing how to set up familiar melodies or create one's own compositions. Xyloba owners from around the world put themselves, their children, or their entire family on display, playing simple melodies or even complex musical pieces. Apparent that the solid construction puts no limit on building even tall runways with long sequences of notes. If there are enough Xyloba elements, a polyphonic effect can be created with parallel runways.

    A Resoundingly Good Idea.

    The idea to design a marble runway with integrated sounding plates came to Samuel Langmeier in a toy shop in Zürich. The Swiss chamber musician and composer found there on display a marble runway ending in sounding plates activated everytime the marbles rolled over them. In 1969 Langmeier went into action with several goals for his model of a runway in mind: the marbles had to strike the sounding plates cleanly, the sound elements had to be exchangeable, and the intervals had to be variable.
    The professional musician glued together wood for the first construction elements and hung the little sounding plates vertically. In order to participate in the 4th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 1975, he had his design patented. It was worth the effort because Langmeier's musical toy was awarded a Bronze Prize.

    The Development Goes On.

    The prototype for the Xyloba marble runway was created in the years that followed. First, Langmeier simplified the manufacturing process: Instead of glueing together the construction elements, he took one piece of wood and drilled out the hollow spaces. By inserting the sounding plates horizontally and fastening them with a bracket, he also improved the sound quality. Since Langmeier was at that point professionally preoccupied, he had no time to look for a manufacturer for his musical marble runway.

    The Weizenkorn Foundation.

    Many years later the Weizenkorn Foundation took over the production of Langmeier's musical toy and started to manufacture it in their sheltered workshop in Basel. More than 200 people who are not employable in the job market for psychological or psycho-social reasons work in this sheltered workshop. With just a few changes to Langmeier's prototype, the Weizenkorn Foundation's employees produce the building blocks for the Xyloba by hand from unprocessed beechwood.

    Warning:

    Not suitable for children under 3 years. Risk of suffocation due to small parts that can be swallowed.

    Product Information

    Article Number 88413

      Enough parts for several children. Complete melodies can be created with this kit.?The kit includes 96 parts: 10 building blocks, 14 sounding blocks, 8 throughway blocks, 3 foundation plates, 12 short runways, 8 long runways, 3 eighth note construction parts, 20 marbles, 16 sounding plates, and 2 mallets. The construction elements and the mallets are made of untreated beechwood (originating in Switzerland). Weight 8.7 kg.
      More articles of the manufacturer:
      Have a question?

      If you have a question concerning this product you are welcome to contact us. For this your E-Mail program will open.

      Contact Us

      For advice, spare parts or special requests - our customer centre will take care of your questions and concerns, personally and competently.

      You can reach us from Monday to Friday at +49 2309 939095 or anytime at info@manufactum.com

      Gift Certificates

      It is good for everything: With our PDF gift certificates you can choose from the entire Manufactum selection. Pick a motif which you can send by email or print out and present personally, immediately after submitting your order.

      Order now