Looking at the photo you will see a space approximately 18 feet in diameter. A total of 12 instruments are in an elliptical arrangement ranging five octaves from contrabass to soprano in both pentatonic and diatonic scales.

Holton Arms School: An Integrative Inspiration

Integrating education with entertainment for nearly 12 years teaches lessons in music, maintenance and durability.

In the town of Bethesda, Maryland, is a well-established, independent school progressive and on the leading edge of arts education. Respected for its artistic scholarship and academic excellence, Holton Arms is a private all-girls’ school for grades 3-12. To commemorate the school’s impressive bicentennial celebration back in 2000, Holton Arms chose Freenotes Harmony Park as a lead partner in creating a large-scale outdoor sound garden.

The transformation of an 18-foot diametric courtyard was complete with the installation of 12 Freenotes Harmony Park signature musical instruments. Among the first ever Freenotes collections to be installed outdoors, the ensemble is still making perfectly tuned, harmonious music 11 years later.

Starting left around the circle is a bank of 17 tuned drums. Next is an alto spinner tree, followed by a C major steel chime set. Then come four tall contrabass chimes in C major; next to them are the contrabass and bass spinners. Following are four more tall contrabass chimes in A minor, and then a set of brass soprano chimes also tuned A minor. Next is a small soprano spinner tree, and lastly, a C major pentatonic amadinda which will also hold two diamond shaped wooden imbarimbas in A minor and C major on the back.