March to the beat of your own drum at Bob Meyer Memorial Park
Girl Scouts Sarah May Lambert and Madison Bermingham completed their Silver Award project by building a music wall for the community to enjoy.
Girl Scouts Sarah May Lambert and Madison Bermingham didn’t skip a beat when executing their Silver Award Project.
The two cadettes of Troop 24304 designed, built and suspended a music wall in Bob Meyer Memorial Park in Medford as an interactive display for children to enjoy.
As members of jazz band and marching band for the past three years, they knew they wanted to incorporate a musical aspect to their project — and growing up as best friends and neighbors who would frequent the park, there was no better location to implement their idea.
“This park has been my go-to park since I was a little kid, I would always go here. I know this park inside and out so I thought it would be really cool to do something there,” Lambert said.
Once the idea of the music wall was decided upon, the pair submitted a proposal to the Girl Scout council for approval, followed by estimating the funds needed for the supplies to fulfill their project, which they acquired through a yard sale and donations from the Berlin Home Depot.
Previously, musical pipes were installed in the park, but due to an insect infestation they were removed.
With this in mind, Lambert and Bermingham brainstormed durable materials able to withstand and deter bees and other insects. They decided to use tin and pvc pipes to produce unique sounds, along with the use of aluminum mesh and silicone adhesive as an efficient seal.
They said when they were younger there weren’t many opportunities provided to them to engage in music, leaving them unsure if they should pursue jazz and marching band.
Being happy with their decisions to follow their musical desires, they wanted to introduce children to the concept of making music and allow them to explore their creativity.
“The goal is introducing kids to the thought of music and hopefully they can pursue that in their older years,” Bermingham said.
The location of the music wall was secured with the assistance of Beth A. Portocalis, the Medford Township open space coordinator, and after approximately four months of planning and building, the wall is in place and available for use.
“I really enjoy doing community service because I like making a change to the things that could be better,” Lambert said. “I loved seeing the finished product of the music wall, I haven’t gotten to do anything else like what we did for the Silver Award.”
In regard to the music wall, Sarah’s mother, Patty Lambert, said she is proud of the two for completing the wall and accomplishing the Silver Award.
“They were very independent, I think the music wall is wonderful since community service has always been a main interest with Girl Scouts,” Patty said, “It was great to see kids run towards the wall to play with it.”
Lambert and Bermingham both have plans to continue on with Girl Scouts and ultimately achieve a Gold Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can receive.
“I definitely want to carry on and help out with the younger troops one day,” Lambert said. “The older Girl Scouts that do that really make a big impact.”