Unlike your orchestra or band class, there’s no such thing as a wrong note with Harmony Park™ Outdoor Musical Playgrounds by Freenotes. Children— young and old—can step up to an instrument they’ve never played before and be able to make beautiful, rhythmic, melodic music right away.  Making music simple and readily available to young children can help develop their interest in pursuing music in more traditional ways. Harmony Park offers a full, sensory play experience. While engaging the senses, the instruments provide a chance for all children to express their individuality and interact with others through spontaneous creative expression.

The instruments also are beneficial for children with special needs. Making music can provide them with a sense of autonomy that bolsters self-esteem, as well as stimulates development and enhances responsiveness to their environment. All Harmony Park instruments are wheelchair accessible. Full resonant sounds range from soprano to contra bass, which are produced by a combination of fiberglass and aluminum bars, and metal chimes. The instruments can withstand the rigorous play of children and the extreme elements of nature and vandals. Freenotes’ instruments are related to the beautiful gamelan instruments of Java and Bali, where nearly all people play music. Inspired by how the gamelan are built and tuned to be played together,musician Richard Cooke, designed Harmony Park instruments to enable the beginner and expert musician to experience music-making in a new way.

By simplifying the design to require no difficult muscular coordination and by using harmony-based scales, Freenotes has opened a way for anyone to experience the joy of playing music. The instruments go together effortlessly so everyone can play without musical training or direction. A core ensemble of at least three instruments is highly encouraged for group play. The instruments canbe installed in any combination and additional instruments can be added any time. Each project is customized and built to order. Special colors and powder coatings are available.  Visit Website

Music by its very nature is universal.

Freenotes are beautiful instruments that focus on social sustainability for public spaces that include an aging population and a consumer-oriented and increasingly diverse culture. They also meet the need for doing more with less. Embracing the concept of Universal Design Freenotes go a step beyond Accessible Design to create environments that are useable by all people. While they are accessible for people with disabilities, Freenotes also enhance any outdoor setting making it useable and appealing to all.
 
Improving human performance
They ensure musical success from the very first note. The ensemble is created so any combination of notes is pleasing. Internationally recognized as the finest and most innovative musical ensemble, Freenotes sounds are sophisticated and surprisingly delightful.
Promoting health and wellness
Freenotes offer a unique play experience connecting people to their creativity in outdoor environments. Harmony Park offers beautiful instruments that enliven outdoor settings. Engaging and inviting participation and interaction, Freenotes bring people back again and again.
 
Encouraging social participation
Freenotes are easily played by people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, mobility, visual, auditory or mental ability. Music will always be a gathering force that builds community. These unique sound sculptures deliver creative sensory play through engaging interactive art. The next generation of outdoor musical instruments Freenotes delivers concert quality sound.

Freenotes Harmony Park makes an ensemble of outdoor musical instruments that everyone can play making them the ideal universal design element. With Freenotes, musical expression is accessible to everyone regardless of musical training. Any grouping of these real musical instruments plays together in perfect harmony making them fun and engaging for the novice or expert alike.
 
Mechanics of Sound: How Freenotes WorkFreenotes is a musical ensemble of real instruments with distinct pure tones that blend into soothing sounds. These percussion instruments are perfectly tuned and make musical expression accessible to everyone, regardless of musical training.
 
Grammy Award winning musician Richard Cooke created this unique variety of instruments to ensure musical success from the very first note. No other system of musical instruments offers this opportunity – especially to a novice.
 
All Freenotes instruments are in the category of percussion instruments because they are played with mallets. The ensemble is created so all instruments play together and any combination of notes is pleasing.
 
Simplified Tonal System
Each instrument has a different combination of a few notes that work together creating harmonious and complementary notes. The simplified tonal system is what allows for untrained musicians to improvise beautiful music, played totally by ear.
 
Ergonomic Design
Freenotes are easy to play. Hand-eye coordination either comes naturally or is easily developed for people of all ages. Each instrument has a unique mallet that is designed to produce the fullest sound. The instruments are placed at an optimum 30-degree angle for maximum ease of play by children, adults, elders, and people with physical and cognitive challenges.
 
Quality Sound Achieved Through Various Form and Material
Freenotes musical instruments come in assorted shapes and sizes and are made from different materials in order to achieve the variety of tones. Tones sustain for five seconds or longer so players can hear the harmonies that are created. As different notes are struck, layers of soothing sounds linger that are sophisticated and surprisingly delightful.
 
Built for Durability
With regular use, Freenotes retain “like new” condition and the sounding elements never go out of tune.  Additionally, the materials and construction methods are designed so the instruments sound good over a wide range of temperatures. Proof of the durability and longevity is in the numerous outdoor installations that began in 1997.
 
These four principles combine to form the real reason Freenotes instruments “work”: they are just fun and easy to play. The instant gratification and total success that is achieved by playing music builds self confidence that spills over to many other areas of life. Creating beautiful music is not reserved for highly trained musicians. It is available to everyone.

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