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Editor's picks

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  Melissa & Doug Band in a Box

  Toy (Melissa & Doug)
  

  Rating (163 reviews):

  (3.9/5)

  

  Good Quality Fun

  These instruments are durable and of good quality. I don't worry about my kids banging on them as hard as they want. They make beautiful music. The kids have so much fun playing with them. They are real instruments, not plastic imitations that don't sound quite right. This was a purchase I don't regret. 5/5 Melanie Andersen (Daly City, California United States) - See all my reviews = Durability:, October 3, 2002

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  Not so durable Band in a Box

  This item was purchased for as a Christmas gift. Within the first day the head of the tamborine was destroyed by light to moderate tapping. Not too worried, figured not everything is toddler proofed. But six months later, with minimal use, one of the handles from the maracas came off, beans everywhere. Thankfully my son came to me right away to tell me it had broken. The handle just comes right out of the head, the seal is gone. I'm in the process of tracking down the manufacturer's website. But if you have little ones, check these handles!!!! 4/5 0, July 18, 2003

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  Big dissapointment...

  Our three year old really likes to "make music" and we wanted to get him some quality rhythm intruments. Unfortunately these did not fit the bill.The thin paper on the tambourine tore before we even had it all the way out of the box. I don't see how it could have stood up to even the most gentle use, much less to an enthusiastic child. It is also really small, even compared to other toy tambourines I've seen. One of the maracas split open along the seam, though we put the beans back in and it sticks together pretty well. I guess some glue might fix it better, but I'll be sure to add more beans - the skimpy amount in there just doesn't make a satisfying "shake". The triangle is very large and looks sturdy, but it sounds awful, not at all like the pleasant sounds of the ones at our child's preschool. The lengths of the sides are uneven; perhaps that's why it is out of tune with itself. It's also pretty heavy for a small child to hold. Let's see what else... the hollow wooden... 5/5 0, March 13, 2003

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  List Price: $24.99
  

  Wooden crate

  Recommended Age Range 4 Years and up

  Contains 10 pieces

  Make a band of your own

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  Melissa & Doug Deluxe Band Set

  Toy (Melissa & Doug)
  

  Rating (46 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Just Awesome! BUT watch out for Xlyphone stick (UPDATED 2008)

  My mom bought this for my son at 18 months and he LOVES it. The entire set is excellent quality and comes in a nice wooden crate (we use the crate for arts & crafts). My son is now a very accomplished Harmonica & flute player (he's now only 19 months) - he can't get enough of these instruments. One thing to look out for though -- the tip of the stick that you use for the xlyphone came off and I found my son eating it - it is definitely a choking hazard - I just took the stick away and tossed it in the garbage and he uses one of the other thick wooden sticks to play the xylophone and he hasn't missed a beat!****UPDATE**** 5/8/08It is now almost 3 years later and my son still plays with all of the instruments in this set. Looking back at all the toys we bought or he received as gifts, this is still one of his favorites and has helped foster his interest in music. I STILL highly recommend this set!! 4/5 ThreePeas - See all my reviews, October 18, 2005

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  Good product for a 2-year old

  I bought this for my 4-year old daughter's birthday because she really wanted a xylophone and this is the only one that I could find! The xylophone is, by far, the worst instrument in the whole set. The notes are way off tune and the sound is muffled.Her favorite piece is the harmonica, which is pretty nice. The rest of the instruments are okay, but avoid this product of you are looking for a nice xylophone. 3/5 Books 'n Beagles (MN, USA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Band Set (Toy) I bought this for my 4-year old daughter's birthday because she really wanted a xylophone and this is the only one that I could find! The xylophone is, by far, the worst instrument in the whole set. The notes are way off tune and the sound is muffled.Her favorite piece is the harmonica, which is pretty nice. The rest of the instruments are okay, but avoid this product of you are looking for a nice xylophone. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 25, 2006

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  Excellent!!!

  Talk about bang for your buck! 17 high-quality instruments for only 30 dollars? It doesn't get much better than this!Modern toys are often "noisy".... they beep, they buzz, they play stupid songs and they provide little educational value. This great instrument set will provide kids with the "noise-making" that they crave, but with the educational value of actually making the noise on real instruments!Parents, too, will have a hard time resisting the allure of these super-fun instruments. Your kids will be dingin' away on the triangle while you shake your thing with the maracas.... it'll provide interactive and fun play for years! Get some good CDs to accompany this set, while you're at it. A fun African CD (like Amadou and Mariam's "Dimanche a Bamako") will do the trick nicely, as most of these instruments are rhythm instruments that will fit in nicely with that highly rhythmic music. 5/5 Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Band Set (Toy) Talk about bang for your buck! 17 high-quality instruments for only 30 dollars? It doesn't get much better than this!Modern toys are often "noisy".... they beep, they buzz, they play stupid songs and they provide little educational value. This great instrument set will provide kids with the "noise-making" that they crave, but with the educational value of actually making the noise on real instruments!Parents, too, will have a hard time resisting the allure of these super-fun instruments. Your kids will be dingin' away on the triangle while you shake your thing with the maracas.... it'll provide interactive and fun play for years! Get some good CDs to accompany this set, while you're at it. A fun African CD (like Amadou and Mariam's "Dimanche a Bamako") will do the trick nicely, as most of these instruments are rhythm instruments that will fit in nicely with that highly rhythmic music. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 14, 2005

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  List Price: $49.99
  Price: $41.53
  You Save: $8.46 (17%)

  Includes a wooden storage case

  Colorful keys help with musical learning and retention

  Great for individual or group play

  Wood instruments which include a recorder, kazoo, harmonica, jingle stick, xylophone, castanets

  Have a band of your own

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  PG Music Band-in-a-Box Pro 2012 Windows

  Software (PG Music)
  List Price: $129.00
  

  Band-in-a-Box Version 2012 adds 101 more RealTracks and over 50 exciting new features!

  Band-in-a-Box is a powerful and creative music composition tool for exploring and developing musical ideas with near-instantaneous feedback.

  Now includes VST synth support, Guitar Amp Simulator (AmpliTube CS), use VST Audio Plug-ins (reverb, delay etc.), ?Loops? support and more.

  Band-in-a-Box Pro includes: Pro RealCombos, Styles Sets 0?3, Solost Set 1, Melodist Set 1 and more.

  Compatibile with new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad versions.

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  Schoenhut Band in A Box - 7 Piece

  Toy (Schoenhut Piano Co. Inc.)
  

  Rating (1 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Good little music set!

  Very nice set and so far it's held up against my 14 month old banging all the instruments around! It's definitely loud, so if you don't like noise, this isn't for you, but I enjoy my daughter getting exposed to instruments at such a young age so I'm willing to sacrifice my peace and quiet : ) 4/5 Cardinal9 - See all my reviews = Durability:, April 13, 2012

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  List Price: $34.99
  Price: $27.51
  You Save: $7.48 (21%)

  Educational

  Group Play

  7-Piece set

  Fun

  Perfect Gift

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  Melissa & Doug Deluxe Beginner Band Set

  Toy (Melissa & Doug)
  

  Rating (43 reviews):

  (3.2/5)

  

  Don't waste your money.

  The whole set looks and feels unfinished. The wood is rough and uncured.Xylophone is totally useless. Keys are made of wood. It hardly makes any sound and when it does it sounds very off-key.Rattlers and harmonica work fine. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it. 1/5 Joanna Zolan "jz" (nyc) - See all my reviews, June 4, 2009

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  Fun for all!

  My 18 month old loves this set! He isn't able to use the kazoo or harmonica yet, but he loves play the xylophone and shake the tamborine while I play the harmonica. It's fun for the whole family.When I first opened the package I thought it was a little strange that the xylophone is all wood(I was expecting metal bars. It took a little while to get used to the sound of the wooden bars compared with metal. My only complaint is that some of the paint has chipped off of the green bar after a couple weeks of use. Otherwise a great way to introduce your child to the world of instrumental music! 3/5 Midwest Mommy (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews = Durability:, April 23, 2008

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  Melissa and Doug Beginner Band Set

  I don't write reviews very often but had to because Melissa and Doug thoroughly disappoint me with this chinzy band set. Like another reviewer stated, the wood is unfinished and rough. The Kazoo doesn't work at all and the xylophone hardly makes any noise. I could have gotten a much better set at Target. Way disappointing. I am shocked too because normally Melissa and Doug make very good products. 1/5 Penelope Penwriter (USA) - See all my reviews = Durability:, March 22, 2010

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  List Price: $24.99
  

  Quality crafted for all levels of musicians

  Exceptional quality and value

  Instruments come in a wooden crate

  Features xylophone, kazoo, castanets, harmonica and jingle stick

  Colorful introduction into the fun world of making music

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  Band-in-a-Box Pro 2011 MAC (Mac-DVD)

  Software (PG Music)
  List Price: $129.00
  Price: $84.30
  You Save: $44.70 (35%)

  Band-in-a-Box is a powerful and creative music composition tool for exploring and developing musical ideas with near-instantaneous feedback.

  Just type in the chords to any song (like C or Fm7b5), choose a musical style from the hundreds available, and click the [Play] button. Band-in-a-Box automatically generates a full backing arrangement including RealDrums and RealTracks.

  50 exciting new features and enhancements including 101 new RealTracks, big improvements to the sound of the RealTracks, RealTracks much smaller and you can now have RealTracks styles changes within a song.

  Now includes compatibility with new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad version. Generate, play, and save songs on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad - with the same high quality RealTracks sound!

  Band-in-a-Box Pro includes: Pro RealCombos - Jazz Swing 140 - Pop Rock 120 - Medium Country Swing - Medum Rock - RealDrums Set 1 - Styles Sets 0?3 - 200 MIDI Styles in a variety of genres. -100 MIDI Solos in a variety of instruments. - and more?

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  Hohner 5 Piece Toddler Music Band

  Toy (Hohner Inc, USA)
  

  Rating (36 reviews):

  (4.8/5)

  

  Well made, sounds great!

  Bought this set for my 1 year old daughter. She really enjoys the xylophone, wave drum and rattle roller. Compared to other kids' xylophones, this one sounds much better: a nice clear sound and in tune. The wave drum has beads inside that gives it a snare drum effect when tapping it, and the beads make a nice sound when shaken. The beads and back of the drum appear to have been given a slight magnetic treatment to help keep some of the beads towards the center of the drum even when it's not perfectly level, helping to maintain the snare drum effect -- I like this attention to detail. So far the set is holding up perfectly despite some rough treatment, including my daughter throwing the xylophone out of her crib and standing on the wave drum.The pictures in the product listing are misleading since they show the instruments at different scales: the xylophone and wave drum are much larger than the other three.Also, for those that try to avoid Chinese-made... 5/5 philosoph (New York (in exile from Chicago)) - See all my reviews = Durability:, October 20, 2010

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  Fun, Fun, Fun

  I purchased this for my 2 year old grandson. He absolutely adores it. It actually keeps him occupied off and on for hours and he is one active toddler. The noisier the better. Of course moms won't like the noise, however it is a good trade off if you have a toddler that is alwlays into things. Tyler loves the rattle toy. The drum is a bit muffled, however, the rest of the instruments make up for it. I would purchase this again. 5/5 J. Green "Ladygreen" (California, USA) - See all my reviews, January 6, 2010

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  Great for little musicians

  My 12-month old loves this product, particularly the xylophone and the drum. The rattles are great and easy to hold too. A great little set! 5/5 Momof1 "Momof1" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews = Durability:, May 19, 2009

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  List Price: $40.00
  Price: $22.95
  You Save: $17.05 (43%)

  Includes a reusable box for storage

  For ages 12 months and older

  Easy to hold and play

  BPA free, lead free, phythlate free

  A complete band in the box including xylophone, sea drum, and three musical shapes with bells and beads

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  Classic Toy Collection Band In A Box - Large

  Toy (Classic Toy Collection)
  List Price: $33.99
  

  Quality Music Series

  Hours of fun

  Classic gift collection

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  Hohner 6 Piece Rhythm Instrument Set

  Toy (Hohner Inc.)
  

  Rating (29 reviews):

  (4.1/5)

  

  Great music set, high quality, worth it

  I bought this for my 18 mo old daughter so she would have some instruments at home to play with. She attends Music Together classes, and these are great for home use. I think it is great that they label this a 6-piece, which refers to the 6 different instruments as opposed to six pieces of things in the set. It is definitely worth the money. The set came with a cotton drawstring bag for storage, and 6 different one-page brochures, which had suggested songs/chants to try with each instrument classified by age range, and also lists the educational purpose for each class. The age range is over 3 years, but I think you can still use it with supervision for younger kids.The set contains the following:3 wood mallets (two for the cymbals, one for the wood block)1 soprano wood block1 triangle and 1 striker2 cymbals1 tambourine2 rhythm sticks (one ridged and one smooth)1 wrist bellsI like pretty much all the parts,... 5/5 R. Anderson (Waipahu, HI) - See all my reviews, August 14, 2007

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  Amazing. Diverse and the finest instruments for kids I've seen

  We create a lot of music in this house. There is no TV or videos. We dance and sing... and these instruments have totally made a great impact on our "family band". The kids love marching around with the instruments and we go in circles, dancing and singing. They also love them enough that they will take the instruments out themselves (I store the cymbals and anything that could hurt them like the rhythm sticks, unless totally supervised, in the nice storage bag it comes with) and dance and sing every afternoon. It is adorable. I only wish there were a harmonica. My kids love harmonicas and somehow I keep losing them. They have asthma and the harmonica is invaluable for one of my sons in particular to help with his upper respiratory/lung issues, in the most fun way! 5/5 scribe "scribe" - See all my reviews = Durability:, January 27, 2010

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  Music IS educational...

  My daughter got the typical plastic music drum/instrument set last Christmas so I wanted to get her a more realistic set. She and all of her friends are in love with this set. The instruments are of very good quality and come in a nice little carrying bag. This is an excellent choice for music loving families. 5/5 Bridgette Hopkins (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews, February 24, 2010

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  List Price: $39.99
  Price: $26.94
  You Save: $13.05 (33%)

  Includes a tambourine, rhythm sticks, nylon wrist bell, wood sounder, a triangle with striker

  A complete rhythm band all in one box

  Comes with songs and activities for use with all the instruments

  For ages 3 years and older

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  Band-in-a-Box Pro 2011 MegaPAK

  Software (PG Music)
  

  Rating (1 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  Band-in-a-Box Promotional Video

  Customer Video Review Length:: 3:26 Mins 5/5 eMedia Representative - See all my reviews This review is from: Band-in-a-Box Pro 2011 MegaPAK (DVD-ROM), March 7, 2011

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  List Price: $269.00
  

  Band-in-a-Box MegaPAK with RealBand includes the MegaPAK RealCombos, Styles Sets 0-77, Soloist Sets 1-11 & 16-20 and Melodist Sets 1-8.

  Now includes compatibility with new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad version.

  50 exciting new features and enhancements including 101 new RealTracks, big improvements to the sound of the RealTracks,

  Just type in the chords to any song (like C or Fm7b5), choose a musical style from the hundreds available, and click the [Play] button.

  Generate, play, and save songs on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad - with the same high quality RealTracks sound!

  Band-in-a-Box is a powerful and creative music composition tool for exploring and developing musical ideas with near-instantaneous feedback.

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