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Easy Xylophone and Glockenspiel Songs for Beginners

The easiest xylophone and glockenspiel songs use three to five notes: Hot Cross Buns (E, D, C), Mary Had a Little Lamb (C, D, E, G) and Ode to Joy (C to G). The 11 songs below are traditional or long out of copyright and are written as letter names in C, so 8 of them fit an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel and all fit a classroom xylophone.

Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, quaver, stave); the US version uses measure, quarter note, eighth note and staff. · US version of this page

Updated · By the Classfern Music Department

Key facts

  • 11 songs, all public domain: traditional tunes or composers who died more than 70 years ago. The simple versions in C are Classfern’s own.
  • 8 songs fit an 8-note glockenspiel (C4 to C5, no sharps or flats); 3 need the higher bars of a 16-bar classroom set (up to A5).
  • Level 1: Hot Cross Buns (3 notes) and Mary Had a Little Lamb (4 notes).
  • Level 2: Ode to Joy, Lightly Row, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, When the Saints Go Marching In and Jingle Bells (5–6 notes, C to A).
  • Level 3: Frère Jacques, Au Clair de la Lune, Old MacDonald Had a Farm and Amazing Grace (wider jumps).
  • Letters with ′ (C′, D′ …) are the high notes from C5 up. A dash (–) is a held beat.
  • The same letters work on chime bars, handbells and tuned percussion tubes.

Play along: the song player

Choose a song and press Play the song. Each bar and letter lights up as it sounds; choose Slow to play along on your own instrument. Self-assessed Can you play the whole song along with the player without stopping?

Now showing: Hot Cross Buns. A dash is a held beat; | is a bar line; ′ marks the high notes from C5.

E D C – | E D C – | C C C C D D D D | E D C –

Sounds are made in your browser. This page never uses the microphone, and nothing is recorded or sent.

What are the easiest songs to play on the xylophone?

Hot Cross Buns is the easiest: it uses only E, D and C. Next come Mary Had a Little Lamb (C, D, E, G) and Ode to Joy (five bars next to each other, C to G). All three repeat short patterns, so beginners learn them in one lesson.

The easiest five, by number of notes
SongNotesFirst notes
Hot Cross Buns3E D C –
Mary Had a Little Lamb4E D C D
Ode to Joy5E E F G
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star6C C G G
When the Saints Go Marching In5C E F

What songs can you play on an 8-note glockenspiel?

An 8-note glockenspiel has C, D, E, F, G, A, B and high C. Songs that stay between C and high C with no sharps or flats fit it: Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Ode to Joy, Lightly Row, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, When the Saints Go Marching In, Jingle Bells (chorus), Amazing Grace.

Frère Jacques, Au Clair de la Lune and Old MacDonald are written higher here (G4 up to E5 or A5) so their tunes keep their true shape; play them on a 16-bar classroom xylophone or glockenspiel, or on the online glockenspiel.

How do you read xylophone songs written in letters?

Play the letters from left to right, one bar of the instrument for each letter. A dash means hold the note for another beat, | marks the end of a bar, and a letter with ′ is a high note from the C5 bar upward.

Letter songs leave out rhythm detail, so listen to the player first. Short notes (two to a beat) are shown as letters with no dash after them, like the four quick Cs in Hot Cross Buns. Once you can play a tune by letters, try reading it on the stave with Classfern’s learn to read music course.

Miss Clara Schumann explaining kindly, one hand raised

Can you play these songs on tuned percussion tubes or chime bars?

Yes. Tuned percussion tubes, chime bars and handbells use the same note letters, so every song here works on them. Give each child one or two notes and conduct by pointing to the letters.

Classroom tube sets are usually coloured by note. Classfern’s coloured note tubes, chime bars and handbells pages show the same tunes in colour, ready for a whole class.

Are these xylophone songs free to use in school?

Yes. Every song here is traditional or by a composer who died more than 70 years ago, and the simple arrangements are Classfern’s own, so you may print and copy them for lessons.

We check every song. Modern hits and film songs are still in copyright, so we teach their skills with public-domain tunes instead. You can find hundreds more traditional tunes in the play-along on lessonplanner.info.

All 11 songs in letters

Each song shows its origin, level and the bars it needs. Press Play this song to load it into the player above.

  1. Hot Cross Buns

    Traditional English street cry (printed by 1733) · Level 1 (3–4 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    E D C – | E D C – | C C C C D D D D | E D C –

  2. Mary Had a Little Lamb

    Words: Sarah Josepha Hale (1830). Tune: traditional American · Level 1 (3–4 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E G · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    E D C D | E E E – | D D D – | E G G – | E D C D | E E E E | D D E D | C – – –

  3. Ode to Joy

    Ludwig van Beethoven (1824), from his 9th Symphony · Level 2 (5–6 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E F G · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    E E F G | G F E D | C C D E | E D D – | E E F G | G F E D | C C D E | D C C –

  4. Lightly Row

    Traditional German tune · Level 2 (5–6 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E F G · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    G E E – | F D D – | C D E F | G G G – | G E E – | F D D – | C E G G | E – – – | D D D D | D E F – | E E E E | E F G – | G E E – | F D D – | C E G G | C – – –

  5. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

    French melody (1761); words by Jane Taylor (1806) · Level 2 (5–6 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E F G A · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    C C G G | A A G – | F F E E | D D C – | G G F F | E E D – | G G F F | E E D – | C C G G | A A G – | F F E E | D D C –

  6. When the Saints Go Marching In

    Traditional African American spiritual · Level 2 (5–6 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E F G · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    C E F | G – – – | (rest) C E F | G – – – | (rest) C E F | G – E – | C – E – | D – – – | (rest) E E D | C – – C | E – G G | F – – – | (rest) E F | G – E – | C – D – | C – – –

  7. Jingle Bells (chorus)

    James Lord Pierpont (1857) · Level 2 (5–6 notes) · 4/4 time · Notes: C D E F G · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    E E E – | E E E – | E G C D | E – – – | F F F F | F E E E E | E D D E | D – G – | E E E – | E E E – | E G C D | E – – – | F F F F | F E E E E | G G F D | C – – –

  8. Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)

    Traditional French round (18th century) · Level 3 (wider range) · 4/4 time · Notes: G C D E F A · Needs bars from G4 to A5 (a 16-bar classroom set)

    C′ D′ E′ C′ | C′ D′ E′ C′ | E′ F′ G′ – | E′ F′ G′ – | G′ A′ G′ F′ E′ C′ | G′ A′ G′ F′ E′ C′ | C′ G C′ – | C′ G C′ –

  9. Au Clair de la Lune

    Traditional French song (18th century) · Level 3 (wider range) · 4/4 time · Notes: G A B C D E · Needs bars from G4 to E5 (a 16-bar classroom set)

    C′ C′ C′ D′ | E′ – D′ – | C′ E′ D′ D′ | C′ – – – | C′ C′ C′ D′ | E′ – D′ – | C′ E′ D′ D′ | C′ – – – | D′ D′ D′ D′ | A – A – | D′ C′ B A | G – – – | C′ C′ C′ D′ | E′ – D′ – | C′ E′ D′ D′ | C′ – – –

  10. Old MacDonald Had a Farm

    Traditional (printed 1917) · Level 3 (wider range) · 4/4 time · Notes: G A C D E · Needs bars from G4 to E5 (a 16-bar classroom set)

    C′ C′ C′ G | A A G – | E′ E′ D′ D′ | C′ – – G | C′ C′ C′ G | A A G – | E′ E′ D′ D′ | C′ – – –

  11. Amazing Grace

    Words: John Newton (1779). Tune: “New Britain”, American (1829) · Level 3 (wider range) · 3/4 time · Notes: C D F G A · Fits an 8-note C-to-C glockenspiel

    C | F – A F | A – G | F – D | C – C | F – A F | A – G | C′ – – | C′ – A | C′ – A F | A – G | F – D | C – C | F – A F | A – G | F – –

Mr Chopin, Classfern’s head of music, waving hello with a warm smile

Ideas for KS1 and KS2 music lessons

  • KS1 (Years 1–2): Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb with only the bars you need on the frame.
  • KS2 (Years 3–6): Ode to Joy, Lightly Row and When the Saints in two parts – half the class plays the tune, half plays C and G on the first beat of each bar.
  • Rounds: Frère Jacques works as a four-part round on xylophones, glockenspiels and tubes together.

More music tools

How to play the xylophoneGrip, strokes and a song tutor.Xylophone notes chartEvery bar and letter.Online xylophoneHundreds of play-along tunes.Tuned percussion tubesWhole-class songs.Easy recorder songsThe same tunes on recorder.All music toolsThe Classfern Music hub.

Spotted a copyright problem with any music here? Report a copyright problem and we will check it quickly.