The stub-ended Swanson Tonette is a small (6" cavity), end-blown vessel flute made of plastic, which was once popular in American elementary music education. Though the Tonette has been superseded by the recorder in many areas, due to their price, durability and simplicity, plastic Tonettes are still in use in elementary schools around the nation.

The range of the Tonette is from C4 to D5. A skilled player can produce notes above the principal register by overblowing and half-covering holes. Similar instruments are the Song Flute, Flutophone, and Precorder.

The Swanson Tonette was introduced in 1938. Designed as a pre-band instrument, the Tonette was nearly unbreakable, chromatic, and tunable. It was easy to blow and the fingering was simple. By 1941 over half of the grammar schools in the United States had adopted the Tonette as standard pre-band equipment. The Tonette's pleasant flute-like sound was also used for special novelty effects in radio, television and film.

Peter Schickele has described the Tonette as "a cheap, synthetic recorder with amusing pretensions"; it is one of the instruments featured in Schickele's “Gross Concerto” by P. D. Q. Bach, one of professor Schickele's other creations.

This instrument was played by Felix Pappalardi on "Pressed Rat and Warthog" on Cream's "Wheels of Fire" album.

More Info: en.m.wikipedia.org