Last evening’s bell choir rehearsal at church was a great success. This group is challenging, yet a lot of fun and very rewarding.  With just six ringers (including myself), the challenge is to make full-sounding music with a small team.  We also have a wide range of abilities in the group.  It has been a treat for me to train some brand-new, younger ringers, who are learning very quickly how to make great music.

four-in-hand ringing

Being a regular ringer as well as director has presented a new and unique challenge for me; I’ve enjoyed learning new techniques like ringing “four-in-hand” (Tricky! Two bells in each hand need to ring independently of each other, so one goes sideways and the other goes frontways – it makes my brain hurt sometimes!).

Bell Choir has become one of my favorite music groups because of the teamwork involved. We have a common goal of making the music sound wonderful, and the common goal above that of bringing praise to God and inspiring others with that music. Attaining that goal in worship requires each person to be present for rehearsals (else their notes in the scale do not get played at all), listen to each other so that the notes match each other when playing a melody, watch and respond to the director so that a tempo is maintained and beautiful “moments” of dynamic or phrasing can happen. It is a lot to count on, and I’m impressed every time with how well they do it.

I’m grateful for this opportunity to work with such a committed and talented group, and for the inspiration they provide. They ring in worship next on Sunday, June 13.