The Sound Cylinders
A small wooden box containing twelve cylinders, identical in outward appearance, each closed at the top. Inside each cylinder is a different filling (rice, sand, small beads, pebbles, seeds) that produces a distinct sound when shaken. The twelve cylinders form six pairs; each pair has the same filling and makes the same sound.
Traditionally the cylinders are divided into two sets of six, with one set marked with a red dot and the other with a blue dot so they can be stored separately. The child's work is to match the pairs by sound alone.
Presentation. Invite the child. Carry the box to the work rug. Remove the six red cylinders and place them in a row. Take one blue cylinder, shake it carefully near the ear, then shake each red one in turn until you find the match. Place the pair together. Continue until all six pairs are matched. Invite the child.
Direct aim. Auditory discrimination: the child trains their ear to distinguish between sounds that differ only in the size and nature of the material inside. The discrimination is surprisingly fine; the sounds are similar enough that a first-time listener often needs to shake several times before matching.
Indirect aim. Music: the auditory attention the Sound Cylinders build is a foundation for later pitch-matching, rhythm work and musical listening.
Extensions. Grading (ordering the cylinders from loudest to quietest; needs a graduated set rather than the standard paired set). Blindfolded matching (cylinders covered or eyes closed). Matching across a distance (one set in one room, the other in another; the child carries each one to its match).
Cost. £25-50 new in the UK. Second-hand sets are often £15-30. DIY is possible with small identical jars or film canisters filled with different materials, though the exactness of the match is harder to get right at home.
The Montessori Bells
A set of bells, tuned to the pitches of the diatonic scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C) plus the sharps and flats (C♯, D♯, F♯, G♯, A♯). Thirteen bells in total for the full set.
Traditionally the bells are mounted on small wooden bases and displayed on a two-level stand: natural bells (white, like piano keys) on one row, sharps and flats (black) on an upper row. The child strikes each bell with a small wooden mallet.
Work at the bells.
Matching. Two sets of bells (the "matched set"). The child strikes one bell, then strikes each of the opposite set until finding the pitch match. Similar in structure to the Sound Cylinders, but working with pitch rather than timbre.
Grading. Arranging the bells in the order of the scale, from lowest to highest pitch. The child strikes each bell in sequence and orders them by ear.
Scale work. Playing the diatonic scale (do re mi fa sol la ti do). The child strikes the bells in order and sings or hums along.
Songs and early composition. The child plays simple melodies (Twinkle, Twinkle; Row, Row, Row Your Boat) by finding the bells by ear. Writing notation follows later.
Direct aim. Pitch discrimination: the child learns to hear that one note is higher than another and to match pitches.
Indirect aim. Formal music: the Montessori Bells are the bridge into musical notation, scales, intervals, chords. A child who has worked with the Bells for a year or two is ready for staff notation in a way that a child who has only heard recorded music is not.
Why the Bells cost so much
The Bells are precisely tuned, hand-made in small quantities, and require high-quality metal and specialist calibration. A full AMI-standard set costs £1,500 to £3,500 new. Some cheaper alternatives exist (non-AMI-tuned sets at £400-800), but the tuning of these is less reliable.
No other 3-6 Montessori material approaches this price. Most home families, faced with the cost, do not buy the Bells.
Is this a problem? Usually, no. The Sound Cylinders carry the auditory-discrimination work; a pitched xylophone (£30-80) or a small wooden glockenspiel can carry most of the pitch-matching work; a low-cost electronic keyboard can carry early scale and melody work. None of these is the Bells, but the combination of the three covers most of what a home family needs from the auditory area.
The Bells come into their own in a family where music is going to be a significant part of education: a child starting piano at four, or a singer, or a family with an instrumental tradition. In these cases the £1,500 is a better investment than buying it spread across ten smaller music purchases. For families where music will be a cheerful side-thread rather than a main one, the Bells are not essential.
The honest progression without Bells
Many UK home Montessori families use this sequence:
Age three to four. Sound Cylinders. Daily or weekly work.
Age four to five. Introduction of a pitched xylophone or glockenspiel. The child plays melodies by ear; simple pitch-matching games; parent or child sings along.
Age five to six. If the child is interested in music, a small electronic keyboard or a weekly piano lesson with an external teacher. The home Montessori family has prepared the child's ear; the piano teacher takes the formal notation and technique.
Age six upwards. Formal music, either through a teacher, a choir, a Saturday music school, or a parent who can read music.
This sequence works for most families and costs under £100 in materials across the Plane 1 period. It produces a child with reliable pitch discrimination and early scale familiarity.
The other pitched instruments: comparison
For families weighing options:
Pitched xylophone. £30-80. Eight to twelve bars. Tuned reliably in the middle price range. Works well for pitch matching and simple melodies. Not the Bells but a reasonable starting point.
Tone bars (individual wooden tuned bars). £40-120 for a set. Each bar is a separate object. More portable than a xylophone and allows pair-matching work (like the Bells, with two sets of bars). Arguably closer to Montessori practice than a xylophone. Worth considering.
Electronic keyboard. £30-150. A 37-key or 49-key small keyboard. Useful for scales and melody; less useful for pair-matching (keys cannot be separated). Good for families where the child is likely to move to piano.
Piano (if the family has one). Use it. A piano is better than all of the above for scale work and melody practice; the child strikes the keys and hears the pitches. Lock the soft pedal and let them play.
Common mistakes at home
Skipping the Sound Cylinders because they look like a toy. They are an essential sensorial material. Inexpensive; do not skip.
Buying the Bells to be thorough. If the family's budget and interest do not justify the Bells, the £1,500-3,500 spend will produce a set that collects dust. Build the auditory foundation through Sound Cylinders and a pitched xylophone first; add Bells later if the child's music interest grows.
Using recorded music as the only auditory input. Recorded music is useful but does not train active pitch-matching. The child needs to strike and hear, shake and listen, match and grade. Active work, not passive listening.
Forgetting that singing is free. A parent who sings daily with their child is doing more for musical development than any material can. Singing is the Bells' cheapest substitute and in some ways a better one.
A real family's auditory shelf
A mum we will call Valentina set up the auditory area of her Montessori shelf with three materials, spread across two years.
Year one: Sound Cylinders from a home-ed swap for £18. Her daughter worked with them for about fifteen minutes weekly, sometimes more during a rainy week. By age four the daughter was matching all six pairs reliably.
Year two: a pitched wooden xylophone for £45 (bought new) and an electronic keyboard already in the family for background music. The daughter picked out simple tunes by ear on both; Valentina sang alongside.
Not Bells. By five and a half, the daughter was enrolled in a small weekly music group (£8 a session) where she did early pitch work with other children. At six she started piano lessons with a teacher.
Total spent on auditory Montessori materials: £63. The daughter's music progression is, by Valentina's account, normal for a musically-inclined child of her age, with no sense that the absence of the Bells created a gap.