In the spring of this year, 2016, I received a call from Bill and Reba Butler, friends from our church, Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. They informed me that a dear lady named Phyllis Combs, a former music teacher in Bedford had passed away in March. She was a member of their Sunday School class and they wanted to do something special in memory of her. Phyllis had taught music for many years at Parkview Primary School, the school I now teach at. The Butlers wanted some suggestions of what my students needed in our classroom. I put some thought into what my students would enjoy and came up with the idea of getting 30 drums – small floor toms. It would be nice to have enough drums for each child to play in class!

I contacted our school Fine Arts secretary and she contacted West Music Co. We ordered the thirty drums and they came in at the end of May, right before the end of school. The Butlers Sunday School class gave $300.00 toward the purchase of the drums and the North Lawrence Community Schools paid for the remainder of the purchase. I contacted my friend Bob Bridge, a wonderful writer for The Times Mail Newspaper in Bedford and he was kind enough to write an article about Phyllis and the drums. Below is the article he wrote.

“And the beat goes on. Phyllis Combs passed away in March. She had served as music teacher at Parkview Primary for many years. Thanks to the generosity of her friends and loved ones, the popular teacher’s presence continues to resonate within the school. Phyllis attended Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington and she was in an adult Sunday School class that my wife Reba and I led, explained Bill Butler. When we lost Phyllis we wanted to do something in her honor, so we took up a collection. The Butlers talked to Becky Muncy, also a music teacher in the North Lawrence system, and asked how to best benefit the Parkview students. I did some research, and came up with the idea of buying 30 hand drums so each child could have a drum to play in class, Muncy recalled. We worked with Teri Hamilton, the Fine Arts secretary at NLCS, and West Music. The school also chipped in some money to make the quest a reality. Butler described Combs as a fun-loving individual. She like to dress up and entertain, he said with a chuckle. She was a party looking for a place to happen. I think you have to be a fun-loving person to teach children music. Phyllis was fun! I’m glad we were able to buy the drums for her students. Thy’ll have a good time with them and Gorge, Phyllis’s husband, enjoyed watching the kids play the drums. Phyllis would’ve liked this!”
(Bob Bridge TMN)

When my students came back to school this fall, their eyes lit up when then they saw all the drums, and they have been enjoying playing them! I think this is a great tribute to Phyllis and all the years she spent teaching. And the beat goes on!