Basic Beat BB12B 12-Note Glockenspiel with Case

Have been looking for something this good, at this price, for quite a while. The tone is fine, shipment was quick, and it turns out (surprisingly) that I even like the bright colored bars . . . so I keep the lid open as it lives on the table in my recording studio (seem to bring some fun into the room).

After trying several brands and types of glockenspiels/ bells, this is the one I have chosen for my general music classes. These are the reasons why this one stood out to me: 1)It has enough notes for students to learn to play every note on the treble clef; 2)the bars are wide enough (the Sonor BWG are too small); 3) the rainbow colored notes are a logical pattern and students find it easier to learn with colored bars vs. the plain wood bars on our Orff xylophones; 4) the lid of case is perfect for propping up our music note books; and 5) the individual bars are removable and there are F# and Bb replacement bars for playing in other keys. I use these instruments with the "Mr. Everybody's Musical Apartment" Curriculum to teach students to read with the letter names the notes on the treble clef. Bells require a lot less hand coordination compared to recorders and ukuleles. So when you have a short amount of time, you can get much more accomplished in the music reading unit because the instruments are easier to play. I put as the title "Best for this type of Instrument" because they are slightly out of tune and a little too loud. Since I have a classroom playing them, I would like them to be softer. If you want a truly in tune instrument you will have to spend twice as much and they won't come in rainbow colors.