Buffalo Elementary School students Justin Mixon, Kim Mixon, and Bailey Krieble demonstrate on the school's new contrabass xylophone bars, which were bought with a grant.

BUFFALO TWP — New contrabass xylophone bars were bought by a grant from PPG Industries for Buffalo Elementary School.

Music teacher Leah Serwon received a grant for the music program at her school in the Freeport School District. She uses the Orff-Schulwerk approach to teaching music, a philosophy that helps children to learn music by playing xylophones, glockenspiels, metallophones and other percussion instruments.

The children learn by performing in elemental or basic ensembles or performance groups from the earliest school years.

With the PPG Public Education Leadership Community grant, three contrabass bars are now in use at the school. The bass accompaniment is added to the children's voices when singing and to their accompanying movement.

Sue Shemanski, a PPG employee from the Coatings Innovation Center in Allison Park, sponsored the request to the PPG Foundation to buy the instruments.