Years: 2019
The Red Hills Rhythm Musical Parklet is a one-of-a-kindm creative musical place located near the Skateable Art Park and Coal Chute Pond Park along FAMU Way. Next to the musical parklet is a serene hammock garden. It is the perfect place to relax and enjoy musical harmony in Tallaahssee. The 2019 Red Hills Rhythm Community Catalyst team envisioned and created this interactive musical parklet.
The Tallahassee area boasts rich musical history. From decades-old jazz and blues institutions to university music programs and venues hosting today’s best talents, the Red Hills are alive with music.
This KCCI project provides our community with a new and accessible place for anyone to create and enjoy music. This new musical space offers an ensemble of instruments for people of all ages to play, create music, and enjoy one of Tallahassee’s newest and most welcoming community parks.
HOW IT WORKED
KCCI’s team worked with Blueprint to highlight musical connection and bring our community together by helping turn the Coal Chute stormwater pond into a place of civic engagement through music. As a centerpiece and draw for this future public space, the KCCI team incorporated interactive musical elements and designed a musical space that will open to the public July 2022. In 2019, after months of community engagement, the KCCI Community Catalyst team designed an engaging musical space that feature three tongue drums, a tutti, grand marimba, tubular bells, and a diatonic tembo.
HISTORY
The team began in 2019 and originally proposed two main elements of the plan to include an:
– Interactive Musical Ensemble Area
– The Garden
After months of community engagement, on Thursday, May 2, 2019 the KCCI volunteer team presented design recommendations for the space to Blueprint, who is overseeing the creation of the Coal Chute Pond Space. In addition, they shared that a musical art trail would be beneficial along FAMU Way and in the surrounding area of the park to further compliment the musical space and to raise awareness of the area’s musical history.
DESIGN
After gaining feedback from more than 700 people, the KCCI Community Catalyst team’s Emily Ely came up with a design concept and the team recommended two musical spaces that reflect the rich musical history of Tallahassee and give passersby an opportunity to interact and listen to new sounds from these instruments. The Garden will be a more tranquil environment with gongs and tube bells, while The Ensemble will play off the excitement of the skatepark with vibrant sounds from a marimba table, tongue drums and a Tutti.
As designs were finalized the two spaces were merged to create one interactive musical public space. This new, interactive public space enables Tallahasseeans and visitors of all ages to learn and practice musical skills. It will be accessible.
FINAL DESIGN
This installation of whimsical and beautiful instruments was one of the amenities added at Coal Chute Pond Park on the Capital Cascades Trail which runs along FAMU Way. Thank you to everyone that supported the KCCI team in making this public space possible.
Community Catalysts
These are the people who helped make this project possible.
- Brad Ashwell
- Susan Baldino
- Tatiana Daguillard
- Emily Ely
- Calla MacNamara
- Kendra Mitchell
- David Rictchey
- Josh Saul
- Jesse Taylor
- Lauren Wallace
- Dara Wilson
- Chelsea Workman