This instrument is an octagonal, wooden, xylophone. Music of the Quenta is named after J.R.R. Tolkien's elves of the Lord of the Rings. My wooden xylophone reminded me of the Quenta elves because they loved trees and nature. I got the idea of making my instrument when I saw my Aunt get one for Christmas.

When I made Music of the Quenta, my dad and mom helped me most of the time. First, I decided the size of the base of my instrument, then my mom helped me draw a template for it. After that my dad and I got wood at Home Depot. The next step was to choose the lengths, width, and thickness of the slats of my xylophone. When my dad and I had all the supplies for my xylophone we started building it. My dad cut out the base. I measured the slats and marked lines to show where I wanted the slats to be cut. I marked holes on the slats where my dad would drill. Then I screwed and glued the slats onto the base, with my dad's help. It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

To make sound with my instrument, I hit the wooden slats with a wooden mallet. To change Music of the Quenta's dynamics you either hit hard on the wooden slats for loud sounds or soft for quiet sounds. To change the pitch you hit either a short slat for a high note or a long slat for a low note. The timbre of Music of the Quenta is like a steel drum, with smooth and tinny notes.