MC Germantown’s Outdoor Musical Garden

By Kalsoom Leghari

The educators at the Center for Early Education at Montgomery College in Germantown are in the midst of gathering items to create their very own outdoor musical garden, a designated area where the children can explore a variety of musical sounds through different items.

The items will be hung on the fence line in the playground. Some of the items to be used in the garden include pots, pans, metal spoons, PVC pipes, old washboards, and bells.

The MC Germantown library has already donated about a hundred old CD’s. Several families have donated pots and pans.

The project is ongoing because the Center is still in need of more donations throughout the month of December. The educators plan to construct the garden before winter break. If successful, the Center would like for the garden to be permanent — a regular option for the kids. Using new donations down the road, the Center would most likely rotate items to keep it engaging for the children.

This will be the first ever outdoor musical garden under the Center’s program. The idea for the garden actually came from one of the teachers at the Center, Gale Pressman. She approached Teresa Delisi, the center’s manager, and explained that the musical garden would be a great learning opportunity for their families and children. They both would love for families to get involved since they are a crucial part of the program as well; they can help in the creation of the garden.

The Center believes the garden is beneficial for the kids for many reasons. They like to incorporate the arts in their program for the children. Music is a huge component of the arts, and they want to give kids an opportunity to experience different sounds, make music, and overall, understand the importance behind music itself.

Kids will be able to distinguish between different volumes, tempos, and rhythms (loud and soft, fast and slow). The kids will even learn about different textures. They can use many of their senses, enabling the garden to be a great sensory experience.

Please spread the word and donate!