Due to health concerns, the library and its branches are closed until April 21. Visit the link below for more information.
While driving or walking up to Pickerington Public Library Main, a colorful collection of metal objects tucked beneath trees and surrounded by budding flowers might catch your eye.
If you look closer, you’ll see that the metal objects are actually heavy-duty instruments: tubular bells, rainbow sambas, a Babel drum and a multicolored cavatina, similar to a xylophone. You might pick up the cavatina mallet and hit the bars with a meaningful whack, creating a beautiful, echoing bell sound. It’s hard not to smile while playing these instruments, for the new Music Garden sparks creativity and joy.
How did these unique flowers blossom? And how is the Music Garden beneficial to a library, typically where reading is encouraged and silence is required? The PPL is redefining what a library does – and what it sounds like.
A Flowering New Space
A Rose Garden previously occupied the alcove and was dedicated to the Pickerington High School marching band – this was before the high school became two.
The focal point was once the plaques commemorating the band’s involvement in the Rose Parade or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And parents of band students handled the difficult task of maintaining rose bushes. Eventually, the band students graduated, the school became two and reclaimed the plaques, benches were removed, and a slab of concrete surrounded by trees was all that remained.
Tony Howard, director of PPL, knew the dead Rose Garden needed new life. While attending a conference in Washington D.C. about the latest technologies and resources for libraries, a colorful company called Percussion Play caught his eye.
“It was like a lightbulb went off,” Howard says, “and I said, ‘Oh, this is perfect for that spot.’”
Back home, Howard gathered research to pitch the Music Garden to the board, Friends of the Pickerington Public Library.
“Research shows that music can enhance fine and gross motor skills, support social and emotional development, improve spatial-temporal awareness, and build language literacy skills,” Howard says. “This is all done through singing, writing and drawing, talking, reading, and playing instruments.”
The board wasn’t hard to convince, and funding for the garden was granted in October 2019. After that, things moved quickly – Percussion Play recommended certain instruments and created renders of the new space, the pieces were ordered and installed, and by late November the Music Garden officially opened with a ribbon-cutting. Pickerington City Council members, residents and the PPL mascot, Violet, made appearances.
And don’t worry, the instruments will withstand all of Ohio’s weather – snow, hail, sleet, humidity, sunshine – as well as spirited musical creativity, so don’t be afraid to give the tubular bells a lively whack.
“Like people have green thumbs, I have no musical thumb,” Howard says, “but I like every now and then taking a break, heading out there and playing the instruments – pounding on the cavatina, tapping on the Babel drum. I just really like it.”
The Joys of the Music Garden
The Music Garden is so much more than a colorful addition and ear-pleasing experience. The PPL plans to integrate the garden into some programs: early literacy programs; Beyond Abilities, learning opportunities for adults with disabilities; and Sensory Stories and Play, an early literacy class specifically designed for children with special needs.
“The Music Garden will enhance these programs,” says Colleen Bauman, community engagement manager for PPL.
Bauman and Howard envision storytimes out in the Music Garden or using the instruments to better understand the learning material.
But Howard says the Music Garden isn’t just for library programs, it’s also a resource for pure joy.
Bauman recalls witnessing a group of teens showing off their musical abilities one afternoon, and Howard says he often sees parents and kids out there enjoying the instruments regardless of the weather. Howard and Bauman say it’s also a great stress reliever.
“When you walk over and you just tap on that drum, you leave the worries of the day behind,” Howard says. “It may be five minutes of forgetting about the world and just enjoying what you’re doing.”
“It’s fun, it’s just fun,” Bauman adds. “There is a release that you feel any time you play a musical instrument.”
Similar resources at other libraries are rising in popularity, but the PPL is determined to stay ahead of the curve. The Music Garden is another extension that’s making the PPL a modern community resource for all ages.
“We are striving to be an industry leader for libraries,” Howard says. “Over the decades, libraries have changed. I’ve heard the phrase, ‘This isn’t your grandma’s library anymore,’ but I like to say, ‘This is everyone’s library.’”
Endless Experiences
The Music Garden might be the newest experience at the Pickerington Public Library Main, but it’s not the only experience in house.
Board Games
The PPL was one of the first libraries in the region to offer board games. From the classics like Battleship and Yahtzee to modern games like Pandemic and Codenames, the selection is vast. Patrons can enjoy the games in the library or check them out to take home – just make sure you bring back all the pieces!
“The board games I really like, just for the fact that it does encourage community, it does encourage family time,” Howard says, recalling a multi-generational family that enjoyed a game of Jenga during the PPL’s New Year’s Eve party.
It’s also a way to give the games a test drive before buying.
“Board games are expensive, so this way people can come in, check them out, take them home and try them,” Bauman says.
Kids Area
In the children’s section of PPL Main, kiddos can build structures at the LEGO or lightboard tables, make funny expressions on a magnetic face, witness the Magic Hands board, or learn something new on a Playaway Launchpad, which features preloaded lessons on math, science and other subjects.
Despite the PPL’s huge range of tech and modern games, one of the biggest draws is still the large fish tank. Watch in wonder as black, purple, pink and yellow fish swim among a sunken submarine and colorful vegetation.
Nature Kits
Stargazing is always a blast, but it’s even more thrilling when a full-scale telescope is involved.
The PPL offers a collection of backpacks with various themes such as aquatic, art, hiking, trees and wildflowers, insects, rocks and fossils, birds, and night sky. Each pack includes a variety of items and resources to fully explore Mother Nature. Catch bugs in a breathable container, use hiking poles while climbing rough terrain or scoop up aquatic life with a durable net.
“We’re really looking at what our community wants and what our community is asking for,” Bauman says, “and Pickerington is a community of families – they like to be outside; they like to be doing things – so the nature kits are fantastic for them.”
Lydia Freudenberg is an editor. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.
