The unusual combination of materials arose from a problem at the MSU Surplus Store, where staff struggled to sell surplus sheet music. Rather than discard the paper, they decided to repurpose it for horticultural use at the tenth annual Music and the Garden, a live music event hosted at Beal Botanical Garden.

It was a fitting blend of materials, considering the circumstances.

Even with Michigan State University mostly empty of students during the summer, campus events like Music and the Garden still draw a solid crowd of local residents in the quiet months before fall semester.

The event gave guests a chance to enjoy live music while learning about various health and food initiatives in the area.

“It’s really just a great opportunity for people to come out, to build community, to enjoy nature, to enjoy music” Beal community and sustainability coordinator Angelica Bajos said. While the event tends to draw a lot more locals, she said that there has been an increase in college-aged guests coming in the past few years.

Bajos added that the event gives Beal staff a chance to educate the community about plant initiatives they might otherwise not hear about, such as the current rewilding project aimed at introducing more native plants into the garden.

This year’s theme was “nourishing our world,” with Beal aiming to highlight the role plants play in both food and medicine, Bajos said.

This year’s featured artists were The Moderno Trio, a three-person ensemble from MSU’s College of Music consisting of a violinist, pianist and clarinetist. Their set included classical pieces as well as modern selections, like the main theme from the 1988 film “Cinema Paradiso.”

Before each piece, the musicians took time to explain the background and context of the music they were about to perform.

Before the music began, guests spent about an hour browsing tables hosted by various organizations and MSU-affiliated groups. One table run by MSU Culinary Services offered samples of a new kale tabbouleh and Lebanese garlic sauce recipe that will be featured at Brody Dining Hall this fall.

“I think what we're here to do is just encourage people to feed themselves,” Allen Neighborhood Center Manager Jenny Wageman said at her table directly across from McCabe's seed bomb setup. The center, located in Lansing, provides resources to improve health and wellbeing by distributing produce to residents and hosting a weekly farmers market.

But aside from the programming at the event, Wageman said she simply found the atmosphere tranquil. “I just felt my nervous system just immediately feel calm as soon as I walked down the stairs,” she said.