Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

An outdoor music studio expressly made for children is in the works this spring at the Imagination Station Playground in downtown Brighton.

The "Freenotes Harmony Park Botanical Garden Ensemble" will consist of nine nature-themed musical instruments with the moniker the "Mr. Wirth Millpond Music Studio". It is being named in honor of Al Wirth, a longtime Brighton resident and city activist who was appointed over the years to several positions with the city. Wirth passed away last November at the age of 78.

The creation of Mr. Wirth’s Millpond Music Studio and handling of donations is being facilitated by the John J. Durbin Fine Arts Foundation. The foundation provides financial support to performing and visual arts projects.

Mary Durbin-Beane, who is spearheading the planning for the outdoor studio, says it is being named after Wirth partly because he and her late father, John Durbin, were close friends, but mostly because of Wirth's selfless dedication to the community and to the Brighton Area Schools. Wirth was a long-time volunteer at the former Lindbom School and hand-painted the travel bus that took Brighton Band members to concerts.

The outdoor musical ensemble consists of two giant flowers, two butterflies, a tenor tree, lily pad cymbals and three whimsical mushrooms. Altogether, it features a full chorus of organic shapes and sounds designed to inspire a botanical concert for any environment. The instruments were invented by a musician who made traditional instruments and wanted to begin making outdoor-grade instruments for people of all ages to explore sound and rhythm.

Over the course of many years, Wirth served three terms on the Brighton City Planning Commission and also served on the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals and Downtown Development Authority.

The city has given approval for the outdoor studio, and Beane says City Council Member Renee Pettengill, the city’s liaison to the Imagination Station, was helpful in streamlining the process to facilitate the project.

The group has collected $13,330 in donations so far, and its goal is roughly $21,000. To donate towards the outdoor music studio, go to https://millpondmusicstudio.weebly.com

The Brighton Dept. of Public Works will be doing the installation, and it’s hoped that it can be completed in early June.

Photos:
Top and middle - an outdoor musical studio like the one to be installed in Brighton.
Bottom: The late Al Wirth at Mill Pond Park.