Soon patrons of the Adams Street Branch of the BPL will be able to get together to play instruments and participate in new community music events. A gift of $25,000 from Amazon will fund programming in the branch’s state-of-the art Music Room and help Library staff purchase instruments. Xylophones, egg shakers, rhythm sticks, log drums, hand drums, band bongos, and other percussion instruments are on their list.
Research indicates that the playing of percussion instruments leads to significant cognitive development. For children, percussive music builds emergent skills in phonological literacy and motor control, creativity, and other social and emotional developments. This gift will enable year-round individual and group learning, especially for the branch’s youngest music learners.
Instruments will be available for in-library lending. But don’t worry – the plush, soundproof interior of the Music Room allows the community to practice musical instruments inside while keeping the main library space quiet for browsing and reading, both guided and independent.
In addition to the Music Room, the renovated Adams Street building contains a Community Room suitable for concerts for an audience of up to 100, and the Reading Garden hosts outdoor performances. With this gift from Amazon, staff will be able to solicit local teachers and performers to develop other programs, in musical storytelling and group instruction, for example, for the community.
Thank you to Amazon for making all this possible and for assisting the BPL in amplifying music literacy!
