I would like to share some pictures and video clips of my handbell fun. This is a several year old picture of Bellissimo, our adult handbell choir.
This is a picture of Bellissimo with Exodus II, our advanced youth handbell choir.
We also have an advanced elementary handbell choir called Drastic Measures. Both of my daughters have been in this choir over the years. This choir is amazing in that the kids have to commit to three one-hour practices every week as well as music theory homework the summer before and weekend bonus rehearsals as needed. They are REALLY good, and they have fun learning and playing together.
If you've never seen a handbell choir, you ought to search around your local area for an active group (most are church-based) and go hear them. You could simply check YouTube, and maybe you actually should start there, but watching a video of a handbell choir falls far short of being present to see and hear it properly. Note that I said both “see” and “hear.” That’s because taking in a handbells performance is very much like going to a symphony orchestra concert; the visual effect is as wonderful as the auditory experience. Watching all those bows go up and down in synchronization is part of the joy, and it’s the same with seeing all those beautiful brass bells working together. You see, the choir plays a single instrument, each individual being responsible for just a few notes. If this sounds hard to believe, imagine ten or twelve people sitting on a piano bench and each of them playing just certain notes whenever they appear in the printed musical score. This is exactly how a handbell choir works, albeit with a little bit more room to work. Playing handbells teaches music reading, teamwork, sensitivity to subtle differences, attention to detail…I could go on and on.
I have had the opportunity to assist in teaching children to play chimes and handbells and it is easier when you start at a young age and learn the basic notes and rhythms.
Bellissimo, the adult handbell choir, got to play during worship service at church this morning. I wish I had time to get a picture or short video, but maybe next time. We played two pieces- first was "My Father's World" composed by our own director; second was "The Lord's Prayer" which is a beautiful piece. In the near future I hope to add some audio and video clips and some instruction for this beautiful musical instrument. I do have some older clips of my girls and their groups over the years and I'll try to find a good one to share. Back to the songs. It was so much fun, and challenging, to keep up with the changing times and key signatures of the songs and try to enjoy hearing the song. Well, I rarely get to enjoy the beauty of the song, because I'm concentrating on my part and trying not to mess up ;-) Here is a youtube video that is the same song we played this morning:
Hello! This is my introduction to the world of blogging. In trying to think of a topic or title, I thought my most favorite thing, which is playing handbells in my church choir. Our name is Bellissimo and we're led by Brian Childers, composer extraordinaire and conductor. I've been playing handbells for about four, or has it been five already, years. I've been assisting with children's handbell and chime choirs for a few more years than that. I love the playing challenge and beauty of the music.
