The Asbury handbell choir has had an exciting start to the semester. They had their first performance during the recent family weekend, where they played (number) songs. The group this year is also the biggest it has been in five or six years, according to director Dr. Mark Schell, who has been directing the handbell choir for about 25 years. The choir currently has 15 members, which is toward the maximum number that the choir could sustain.
“We had a pretty good size bell choir until 2019, and we graduated all these people,” Schell said. “It took us a while to build back up again.” He added that he was very excited about having so many people, especially new members, in the group this year. “It allows you to play more literature. There are certain songs you can’t play if you don’t have this many people,” he said. “And it allows me to direct.”
Having Schell direct rather than play helps the group improve because it allows Schell to better catch mistakes that the choir can focus on fixing. In addition, having such a large group also allows more students to experience handbell ringing.
Interest in the handbell choir has grown so much, in fact, that Schell plans to start a smaller, second bell choir for students who want to try handbells but do not have prior experience, who are interested in learning to play bells. The small group experience would give them lots of practice ringing, and, if the students want to, they could then join the larger bell choir. “Hopefully that will become a feeder into our handbell choir,” he said. He plans to offer the chamber bell experience every semester there is interest.
New handbell choir members and returning members alike enjoy the size of this year’s group. “It’s a big ensemble, and lots of people together, and it’s a big family,” freshman Emily Reed said. She saw the handbell choir perform on two different occasions back when she was visiting Asbury, which led her to decide she wanted to be a part of the group.
“I was really excited to play because I had seen the concerts before and it looked like so much fun,” Reed said. “I saw them in February, and in September for family weekend.”
Returning ringer Shannon Cook is also a freshman. However, she played in the handbell choir while in high school through the Asbury Academy program. This is her third year in the choir, as she has been ringing since eleventh grade. When asked about the difference in the size of the ensemble, Cook said it made a huge difference that the group was big enough for Dr. Schell to direct rather than play.
“It is so much easier,” Cook said. “He directed my first semester, and then the next year he had to play. And so, I was like, ‘Woah, we’re falling apart over here!’” For example, the handbell choir played “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman last year, and Cook found that it was a very difficult piece to play without someone directing. “Someone was always ahead or behind,” she said.
Neither Reed nor Cook had any handbell experience prior to joining the group. However, Reed did have experience with other percussion instruments. Cook, on the other hand, decided to join due to the fact that she had family members who played bells.
“My elder siblings played handbells in college and I said, ‘That sounds fun. Why don’t I try it?’” Cook said.
For the recent family weekend, the handbell choir performed two pieces. They performed a praise-like piece called “Acclamation,” as well as “For Good” from the musical “Wicked.”
Article written by Amelia Pressley.
