Last Night we gathered together to celebrate the official opening of the “Children’s Music Garden.” This garden was the result of a small group of people working together to create something from nothing. A little over a year ago I found myself with an intense need to create something beautiful. While reading an article on playground supervision, I spied the answer. In a school designed for children who had autism, a music therapist named Petra Kern built a “Music Garden”. The positive results from her study on the effect of music on challenged children, was amazing. From her study I deduced that the interaction of children with the large scaled instruments, could also translate into positive results for children without such extensive challenges.
So began our adventure to: design, fund and build the only garden of its kind in a private school. Early on the families supported this adventure, some with fundraising, some with advice, and still others with time, materials and labor. What evolved was a synergy of the concrete and the abstract.
Each day I find children experimenting with sound vibrations in the “Music Garden”. On one occasion we all laughed our selves silly, when the vibrations from the large Whale Drum traveled through the deck and tickled our feet! Not only were we experimenting with sound but we now had, a built in science lesson about sound vibrations and how they travel.
Though we speculated about the physical design there was no way to know what the intrinsic value of the garden would be. Life is sometimes like that. You start a journey without really knowing where it will lead and instead of an ending you find a beginning.
Peace & Light,
Grace
Comments on: "The Music Garden" (1)
Mikel and Xabier are constantly putting on “shows” at home. Xabier will get Daddy’s guitar and Mikel will empty out a couple of boxes, and find himself anything that will work as a drumstick. They will then line up their stuffed animals and sing their voices off, while “making music”. Then they will switch places and the “show must go on”. It’s a lot of fun to watch, especially if your ears are covered!!
Margarita