Friends of the Arts Gift Brings MusicplayOnline to Orange Beach Elementary Music Classes

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Students in the Orange Beach Elementary music program will have new digital lessons, songs and games to work with this school year, thanks to a $1,000 contribution from the local nonprofit Friends of the Arts.

Members of the Friends of the Arts board recently presented the check to Kimberly Pugh, the school’s general music and choir director, and music teacher Taylor Holley. The money will cover the school’s subscription to MusicplayOnline, a digital music education program built around a comprehensive, sequential curriculum for students.

The gift at a glance

• Donor: Friends of the Arts, a South Baldwin County arts nonprofit.
• Amount: $1,000.
• Recipient: The music program at Orange Beach Elementary School.
• Accepted by: Kimberly Pugh, general music and choir director, and music teacher Taylor Holley.
• Purpose: The school’s subscription to MusicplayOnline for this school year.
• What it includes: Grade-level lessons in singing, movement, rhythm and instruments, plus more than 10,000 interactive activities, tools and games.

What MusicplayOnline offers

MusicplayOnline provides grade-level lessons covering singing, movement, rhythm and instruments, paired with interactive activities. The program includes more than 10,000 interactive activities, tools and games, which allow teachers to build customized lesson plans for their students.

The program is produced by Themes & Variations, a music education publisher based in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The company was founded in the mid-1990s by Denise Gagné, a music teacher who had taught band, choir and classroom music at levels from preschool through college. The company describes MusicplayOnline as a curriculum “made by teachers, for teachers,” covering pre-kindergarten through middle school, and says it is used in more than 6,000 schools worldwide.

For elementary music teachers, a sequential curriculum means lessons build on one another from grade to grade. Younger students might start with steady beat, simple songs and movement games, while older students move on to reading rhythms, identifying instruments and singing in parts. Digital programs like MusicplayOnline give teachers ready-made lessons, recordings and on-screen activities they can project in class, freeing up time to focus on performance and individual instruction.

Part of a wider commitment to arts education

The gift to Orange Beach Elementary is one piece of Friends of the Arts’ ongoing support for arts education and programming throughout South Baldwin County.

Friends of the Arts is a nonprofit organization that supports the visual and performing arts through program grants, student scholarships and funding for events, including the annual Orange Beach Festival of Art. Its stated mission is to provide education, promotion and appreciation of the arts by supporting programs and events that are entertaining, educational, inspirational and lasting.

Volunteers with the organization have long been involved with the city’s Coastal Arts Center on Canal Road, which houses a gallery along with studios for clay, glass-blowing and other media, helping with camps, concerts, artist receptions and the spring festival.

The Orange Beach Festival of Art

The Orange Beach Festival of Art is one of the longest-running arts events on the Alabama coast. According to the City of Orange Beach, the festival has been held for more than 50 years, and the next edition, the 53rd annual festival, is scheduled for March 13-14, 2027. Friends of the Arts was listed as a sponsor of the 2026 festival.

The weekend show gives visitors a chance to meet artists and buy their work directly, and it has become a fixture of the spring calendar in Orange Beach. Funding the festival is one of several ways Friends of the Arts supports the arts locally, alongside its program grants and student scholarships.

A young school system that is still growing

Orange Beach Elementary is part of Orange Beach City Schools, one of Alabama’s newest school districts. The city formed its own system after years as part of the Baldwin County Public Schools, and the district began its first school year in August 2022. Orange Beach Middle and High School joined the new district on July 1, 2022.

The new system saw growth from the start. In August 2022, local news reports said enrollment had reached about 1,250 students, a 12% increase over the year before, and that Orange Beach Elementary was hiring additional teachers and undergoing a 17,000-square-foot expansion.

As a small city district, Orange Beach City Schools relies on a mix of state, local and community support. Local nonprofits, booster clubs and businesses often help fill gaps for programs such as music, art and athletics.

Why elementary music matters

Music classes in the early grades give children a chance to sing, move and make music together, often for the first time. Along with learning songs and rhythms, students practice listening, following directions, working as a group and performing in front of others. Choir programs like the one Pugh directs also give students a chance to perform for families and the community.

Arts advocates have long argued that steady access to music and the arts helps students build creativity and confidence. For many families, school music class is the only regular, structured music instruction their children receive, which makes classroom resources especially important.

How to support Friends of the Arts

Residents who want to support arts education in South Baldwin County can get involved with Friends of the Arts by volunteering at events, attending the Orange Beach Festival of Art or contributing to the organization’s scholarship and grant programs. Information is available through the group and through the Coastal Arts Center of Orange Beach.

For students at Orange Beach Elementary, the immediate result of the gift will be heard in class: new songs, rhythm games and instrument lessons, delivered through a program paid for by neighbors who believe the arts belong in every child’s education.