Connecting Trees and Forests to Music —Our "Mokuiku"

• The Sound of the Forest in the Palm of Your Hand—Castanet Making Workshops
• Playing with blocks from the musical instrument factory
• “The Mysterious Sound of Wood” experience

Playing with blocks from the musical instrument factory

This initiative offers children an opportunity to play with blocks of various shapes, made from the unutilized wood left over during the manufacturing process of pianos, wind instruments, guitars and other musical instruments. Children can use their fertile imagination to come up with an endless number of ways to play with these blocks, such as creating imaginary musical instruments or by using bell-shaped parts to build trees.

Made of unutilized wood from production processes, these building blocks feature unique shapes and color variations, and part of their appeal lies in the enjoyment of imagining which instrument and which specific part each piece came from. They are very popular with children from preschool to early elementary school age.

“The Mysterious Sound of Wood” experience

The characteristics of the wood used for musical instruments vary greatly depending on factors such as its place of origin, appearance, sound, and weight. The “Mysterious Sound of Wood” experience allows participants to compare the characteristics of more than ten different tree species using soundboards cut in identical shapes, and experience their differences. In addition to comparing sounds by striking the soundboards with mallets like they would when playing a marimba, people can pick up the soundboards to compare their weights, appearances, and textures, learning about the unique aspects of each species and their connection with musical instruments.