What to know about the ‘Beat! A Musical Garden’ installation at Vollrath Park and the Sheboygan North student who created it.

SHEBOYGAN – A Sheboygan North High student created a musical garden at Vollrath Park with the hopes of bringing music to kids living in the community.

Senior Eileen English imagined Beat! A Musical Garden, an interactive music installation. Four stations along a curved sidewalk focus on four elements of music — a pot and pan timbre wall for melody, chimes for dynamic, metal flowers for pitch and drums for rhythm. Kids will be equipped with mallets to make music and play at the stations. There is also a conductor stand in the grass in front of the installation.

A storyboard by the drums will follow a monkey named Coda as he learns about music through the stations, too.

“Having that accessible music was the goal,” English said. “I really hope that kids can find music through this because I know it's difficult. The expense barrier is huge in Sheboygan, especially.”

English has seen music group membership dwindle and fewer opportunities for kids to make music during her time playing. She’s been playing music since she was 5 years old, when she started piano lessons. Now, she plays percussion for the Sheboygan Symphony Youth Orchestra and drumline at North High.

Last year, English visited students at Seton School and Lake Country Academy to learn more about their favorite elements of music and what they learn in music classes. Those conversations informed what she focused on in the musical garden.

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The project was budgeted for $70,000, with cookware donations from Vollrath Company and in-kind donations from the City of Sheboygan. The musical instruments were installed by outdoor music park company Percussion Play.

English worked on the project while in the Innovator Fellowship Program, a year-long program that supports students in pursuing a community project outside of school.

She started the project last school year, raising funds and presenting to the community about the project. This year, she said she had the unique experience of mentoring new fellows and imparting advice from her time in the program.

In the second year of working on Beat! A Musical Garden, English said she took away the connections, experiences and ability to keep “persevering when things get tough.”

English said she will continue following her passion for music when she attends Villanova University, where she hopes to join a musical group.

Grand opening was scheduled for Saturday morning

A grand opening for the musical garden was scheduled for 9 a.m. June 1. The installation is next to the playground on the park's south side.

Local students will do the honors of cutting the opening ribbon and North High drumline and Sheboogie Jazz Band will perform. There will be coffee and light breakfast treats.

Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or [email protected]. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Musical garden at Vollrath Park in Sheboygan created by North student