ANDOVER — “Music is one of the very few activities that use a hundred percent of the brain,” Pete Coolidge said. “And nothing will pique the interest of a child in playing an instrument more than playing along with someone.”

Thanks to Coolidge’s vision, and the generosity of donors to help fund an expanded instrumental music program, the entire fourth and fifth grade class at Andover Elementary School ends each week with a guitar lesson from music teacher Duncan McFarland.

After Andover withdrew from SAD 44 this year to form its own school department, Coolidge, a lifelong resident of the town and the owner of Pete’s Hardware, recognized the opportunity for more volunteer participation in education.

A self-described “back porch musician,” he said he decided to take donations from the popular local concert series he started two summers ago to create an elementary school folk music program.

He also heads up an ongoing campaign to raise the remainder of the funds needed to purchase instruments, instruction books and other supplies.

To date, the program has provided 11 new Yamaha guitars in a three-quarter size appropriate for elementary students. Coolidge hopes to add different instruments in the future.

“Music at an early age has been proven to strengthen math and science skills, along with visual and perception skills in the fields of drama, public speaking, and art,” he wrote in a letter to prospective donors. “It also promotes creative thinking, problem-solving, and, with many, a general sense of well-being.”

The autonomy of the school and the small size of the staff and student body provide opportunities for community members to have a real impact on the quality of education in their town, he said.

“The possibilities are truly endless in regard to what we can do as mentors, boosters and supporters,” Coolidge said.

Friday is music day at the school. McFarland, who also teaches instrumental music to elementary students in SAD 44, spends one day a week at the school under an independent contract with the School Department.

Each Friday begins with a 45-minute schoolwide music period immediately after breakfast. McFarland brings all 28 students into the gym to learn a new song, or even a dance. This gives the three classroom teachers an opportunity for lesson planning and meeting, and lets students of all ages learn together.

The rest of the morning, McFarland works with instrumental students in small groups.

Half of the fourth- and fifth-graders get a guitar lesson in the morning. For the last period of the day, the whole class goes to the music room.

They work in pairs, with students who had a morning lesson that week helping to teach it to their peers.

“Duncan is phenomenal in so many ways,” said Principal Karen Thurston, who also teaches the nine fourth- and fifth-graders.

In addition to the nearly endless patience required to work with young children just beginning to learn an instrument, McFarland possesses musical versatility and practical skills.

“He can play and repair just about any instrument,” Thurston said.

Coolidge said his parents played the guitar, and the home where he grew up was filled with music. He remembers singing three-part harmonies while washing dishes with two of his sisters, and taking up the guitar at the age of 7.

“To be honest, I don’t ever remember not playing,” he said.

In addition to the guitar, he plays the banjo, the mandolin and the dobro — “the folk instruments,” he said.

In 2014, Coolidge and some fellow musicians decided to start performing regularly at the bandstand on the town common, and the Andover Summer Concert Series was born.

Every two weeks throughout the summer, a different artist takes the stage. Many of them are local, musicians with whom Coolidge has been playing for 30 years.

The concerts are free, but donations are gladly accepted.

The series raised about half of the money needed to purchase the guitars for the school, with the rest coming from private donations.

Coolidge said he hopes to add other instruments to the program soon.

“We’ll talk to Mr. McFarland about what kind to get. He’s the teacher, and it will be up to him,” he said, adding that he thinks mandolins and ukuleles may be next.

“They’re small, good for little fingers,” he said.

Recently, McFarland sent his students home with permission forms that will allow them to take the guitars home with them to practice, as long as their parents agree.

Enthusiasm for the program is running high among school staff, community members, and, especially, students.

“I really like this a lot,” a fourth-grader said as he returned his guitar to its stand in the music room. “I’ve wanted to be a musician for a long time, since I was about 6.”

Donations for the program, with checks made out to “Andover Activity Fund,” may be brought to Pete’s Hardware or the Andover Elementary School.

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