Harmony Park, an Outdoor Musical Play Ground!
Designed by Nancy Dransfield, Landscape Architect, Landesign of VA, Inc., P.O. Box 15582, Richmond, VA 23227, 804-261-6773,
n.dransfield@verizon.net
Harmony Park:
An Outdoor Musical Classroom
Mid-Year Update
Dec. 2008
From finalizing the budget to selecting a site to developing detailed landscape design plans to determining the instruments...everything is falling right in place for this incredible project which promises to inspire cultural arts, rhythm, and movement for our school community.
Want to see and hear these incredible instruments coming soon to Colonial Trail?
Visit
Freenotes.
Parents, staff and teachers at Colonial Trail, Henrico County Public School officials and professional consultants have dedicated many hours to bring this project to fruition. With a project this ambitious, there are many steps which had to be completed including grant research, writing and reporting; site selection; landscape design and installation; safety and security planning; storage for the instruments prior to installation; budgeting and cash flow planning; the bidding/procurement process through the county for various purchased goods and services; and instrument selection/ordering. 
Site Design and Selection
Site selection included a detailed analysis of safety, acoustics, drainage patterns, electrical requirements, shade, security, accessibility, topography, soil compatibility and integration with the long-term physical plan for the school campus. The site was determined with the approval and involvement of John Barber, HCPS Safety Coordinator and Nancy Dransfield, professional landscape architect with
Landesign of Virginia, Inc.
who also donated her professional services to create and design the detailed site plan. Additionally, a soil analysis of the area was conducted to evaluate the site for drainage and soil quality and stability.
Just after the site selection was finalized, Henrico County Public Schools provided several dozen Crape Myrtles, Purple Leaf Plums, Zelkova, Oaks, Maples, Cherry Trees for both the overall school campus and for the Harmony Park site. After consulting with other schools and park systems already using outdoor musical instruments by Freenotes, Inc., the decision was made to install the instruments directly on the grass instead of creating a mulched area. This will be more cost effective and will minimize maintenance to the site. Nancy Dransfield, the professional landscape designer working pro bono on the project, created a plan to maximize the placement and installation of these trees which are now planted and being cared for by parent volunteers and the maintenance staff at Colonial Trail Elementary. Considerations such as shade, accessibility, aesthetics, instrument placement and acoustics were addressed in the placement of these donated trees on the Harmony Park site.
Selection of Instruments Freenotes, Inc. manufactures dozens of different kinds of indoor and outdoor musical instruments. Hence, the process to finalize this particular suite of instruments, specifically selected for and by Colonial Trail, was extensive and required many weeks of planning and volunteer hours. One of the major goals of the project was to provide enough instruments for a minimum of 25 students to play as part of the classroom-structured, SOL-based lesson or exploratory free play. Additionally, complementary tones, tuning and range of the instruments were analyzed. And, finally, the logistics of the physical placement of each instrument per the landscape design was strongly considered.
Many people were involved in the process of selecting instruments. So in preparing for the instrument order, Mr. Cantone and the parent volunteers consulted with the Colonial Trail Elementary School music teachers; the volunteer landscape architect for Harmony Park,
Nancy Dransfield;
and, the instrument designer from Freenotes, Inc. on multiple occasions. Since all of the teachers on the Colonial Trail Elementary School music staff were new in 2008-2009, in September, Mr. Cantone and the parent volunteers sought their input into the selection of the instruments and site selection process. Additionally, interviews with several organizations where the instruments are currently installed in schools and playgrounds, as well as with several music specialists in percussion and world music helped inform the decision on the instruments.
Installation The County and the school are currently obtaining formal bids from contractors for the installation of the instruments. A vendor will be finalized by the end of January. Installation of the instruments, which are set in concrete, is scheduled for March 2009, ideally after the last hard freeze of the season The timing of the instrument installation and the voluminous storage requirements for the instruments were carefully considered as part of the decision on when to place the instrument order.
Colonial Trail Elementary School teachers have already developed, and are continuing to develop, a portfolio of lesson plans for Harmony Park which will include science, music, technology, art, math, social studies and physical education SOL’s.
Harmony Park project is a special project being managed directly by Colonial Trail Elementary School. In July 2008, Mr. Cantone and the team of parent volunteers began meeting every other week to plan and execute the Harmony Park project. This team of parent volunteers serves as advisors to Mr. Cantone. The team of parents includes Laura O’Brien, Linda Saksvig, Julie Gigante, Linda Levine and Michael and Margaret Storti. A team of Colonial Trail Teachers, made up of the grade level chairs, is also designated as advisors to Mr. Cantone regarding Harmony Park.
Harmony Park is partially funded by a generous donation of $10,000 from the Colonial Trail Elementary PTA which was received on May 30, 2008 and deposited into the school’s bank account. The Henrico Education Foundation grant of $2,580 was awarded in August 2008 and deposited in the school bank account. Additionally, Mr. Cantone and the parent volunteers were successful in obtaining a $10,000 grant from Partners in the Arts. The Partners in the Arts grant is provided in incremental payments from September 2008 through June 2009 and the funds are deposited in the school bank account as they are received. The Partners in the Arts grant requires site visits and extensive reporting requirements. In September, a group from Partners in the Arts, Mr. Cantone, the school’s music teachers, the parent volunteer team and County officials met, at the request of Partner in the Arts, to review the Harmony Park plans.
We welcome continued input and involvement by parents, teachers and students as we come into the final stretch of Harmony Park.
Questions? Please ask! I would like to hear from you! I will give you a quick response and a page on this site dedicated to the topic. You can share it with your friends and the readers will benefit too! Please contact me for further information or to talk to me about my design services. Nancy Dransfield Landesign of Virginia, Inc P.O. Box 15582 Richmond, Virginia 23227 Office: 804-264-7253 Fax: 804-264-7253 E-mail: n.dransfield@verizon.net 
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