Wilson Library Music Open Hour Reverberates With Joy

Hanhe Choi and Azora Lindsay ran around the Music Room at Wilson Branch Library like kids in a candy store. 

But instead of tooth-rotting sweets, the 23-month-old and 2‑year-old kiddos were focused on a range of keyboards, drums, and shakers, as pleasing to the ears as candy would be to the tongue. 

The toddlers rushed from instrument to instrument, touching everything they could and figuring out how to create the loudest sound. Before long, the room filled up with a cacophony of joy.

Jeffrey Panettiere, the Technology Assistant for the Wilson Branch Library at 303 Washington Ave, has run the weekly Wednesday Music Open Hour for two years. ​“We were looking for a way to repurpose the room with our periodicals, magazines, and CDs,” he said. ​“Everything just came together at the right time.” 

People ranging from parents bringing small children to adults in their 80s attend the open hour. 

Some come to learn an instrument, others merely to experiment. Young adults often use the space to record their own music using the Mac desktop.

The music room features a veritable hoard of drums, shakers, keyboards, string instruments, an accordion, and a synthesizer. The organization Hungry for Music donated a significant number of the instruments, with the remainder coming from a variety of independent donors, including Panettiere himself. The music program of Southern Connecticut University also donated two pianos, one of the most popular instruments in the music room. 

While visitors cannot currently take the instruments home on loan — the library, Panettiere said, does not have a ​“dedicated budget for repairs or replacement, or what we would charge if somebody broke them,” — the room opens for the public on Thursdays and Saturdays for keyboard classes during the summer, as well as during the year-long Wednesday Music Open Hour.

“A lot of parents like having the option, and a place to bring their kids for free music lessons,” said Wilson Branch Manager Meghan Currey. ​“Especially for the kids, it’s a way to experience the library that encourages them to check out our collection.” And for the adults, the Music Room provides ​“a space to come where they can feel safe and unjudged” while learning new skills.

Eight people attended this Wednesday’s Open Hour, ranging from the toddlers to their accompanying adults. ​“Sometimes we have fifteen people,” said Panettiere, ​“and it’s kinda pointless to learn stuff because” — he jammed his hand down on the piano keys, demonstrating the sound of a busy music room. 

As it turned out, eight was the perfect medium to combine real learning with organized chaos. While the children rushed around, adults could sequester themselves at the keyboards, plucking out the tune to Happy Birthday. Panettiere alternated between offering advice, and instructing the kids on how to best use the noise-makers they had selected.

Jakki Cousins accompanied her grandchildren Azora Lindsay and Kaejah Bailey, age 11, on her second visit to the Music Room. ​“Jeffrey is always very willing to help others,” she said, describing what she loved about the open hour. ​“He’s always patient with everyone from the babe to the adult…So I always come back when I have the time.” Cousins sat at one of the keyboards, attempting to teach Azora to play Happy Birthday with moderate success — Azora proved to be more interested in pounding the keys to her own tune.

Codi Graham, 9, said that she had visited the Music Room regularly since she first moved to the neighborhood, four years ago. ​“There’s a lot of opportunities here,” she said. ​“You can learn piano, you can learn other things.” Codi spent the first quarter hour at a keyboard, before discovering the synthesizer. Under her hands, the machine produced a loud wailing noise that delighted the kids. 

“It sounds like a baby crying!” Codi cheered.

“Let’s turn that down just a little bit,” interjected Panettiere, saving the adults in the room from the caterwauling. But rather than dissuade Codi from her newfound interest, he taught her how to use it on a quieter volume, encouraging her to experiment with the different parts of the synthesizer, and harmonizing with it on the accordion.

After half an hour of playing, the children became distracted by the games also housed in the Music Room. Codi and Kaejah embarked on a highly competitive game of Uno, which Azora soon attempted to join. ​“Remember you are just two,” cautioned Cousins, as her granddaughter fumbled with the cards in her hands. The adults in the room chuckled at the admonishment.

Meanwhile, Panettiere engaged himself in assisting one of the adults with the keyboard. He encouraged her to practice Happy Birthday on a keyboard with labeled notes, and then switch to an unmarked version to test her memory. Everyone in the music room worked on their individual projects in a companionable lack of silence.

Currey explained that the Music Room provides an ​“invigorating and inviting space for the community to enjoy.” ​“The highlight here is joy,” she said. Joy abounded as the hour wrapped up, the children putting away their games, the adults removing tired fingers from their chosen instruments. Panettiere handed out sheets of music to those interested in practicing at home, and invited them back next week, or on Thursdays and Saturdays for summer keyboard lessons. 

As the last person in the room accepted the music, she paused at the door to offer one final take away from the hour. ​“They should have music rooms in every library,” she said.