https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/wards-and-departments/departments/gosh-arts/gosh-arts-news/harmony-garden-and-xylophone-bench/
The Harmony Garden and The Xylophone Bench
9 Nov 2017, 10:28 a.m.
GOSH Arts and Studio Weave worked with xylophone maker Jamie Linwood to commission a Xylophone Bench for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) families and staff to enjoy.The Xylophone Bench is part of the new Harmony Garden by Studio Weave, an extension of the Lullaby Factory in the Lagoon Restaurant. As well as the Xylophone Bench The Harmony Garden includes new lullaby listening trumpets and a new lullaby created by GOSH musicians in collaboration with families and staff at GOSH.
The xylophone bench has 120 bars in total, and is tuned to a five note, or pentatonic scale. The total musical span is just under 5 octaves, which is very large for a xylophone or marimba! Jamie says that “children and adults will often play adjacent bars, especially when seated and this arrangement of bars produce natural chords with ease. One of the greatest challenges was making unusual shaped xylophone bars that actually sounded good: some are quite extreme, being fan shaped, whilst others twisted along their length like a propeller blade".
The Harmony Garden can be found in the outside courtyard in the Lagoon Restaurant, to the right of the GOSH Shop.
“The Harmony Garden is wonderful, it’s allowed us to have the first bit of fresh air we have had in 5 days” – GOSH parent “Creating the xylophone for the Harmony Garden has turned out to be one of the most rewarding and creative projects I have been involved with” – artist, Jamie Linwood "It is both beautiful as a structure and wonderful to play, fun and relaxing at the same time. I can imagine it working really well in encouraging children and families to play and work together" – Jackie Goldsmith, Assistant Head Teacher, GOSH School
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