Ring in Schools - Music Education through handbells, handchimes or belleplates

But just what makes using handbells as the musical medium such an effective music teaching tool? Well, for one thing, handbells make instant music. Within five minutes of starting ringing children can be playing chords to accompany a melody sung or played on a piano.
Handbells require no tuning on the part of a player so they can start to make music right away making this an instrument which is accessible to all.
Children also very much enjoy the fact that they make music in a group – they learn together how to make the instrument play in the correct place at the correct time, they learn with others the values of notes on the printed page, and they work as a team to replicate rhythmic patterns. The interaction with others adds to the fun – whether it is learning rhythmic syllables, note values, or music notation, all are introduced and reinforced with games. Being a part of a handbell group fosters community and co-operation.
Ostinato patterns, echo, improvisation and other techniques associated with the Orff approach can also be incorporated.
The reinforcement of music skills is a part of the progression from a beginning group. As well as musical games, exercises and activities, from the outset the children learn to perform music for audiences. Thus the development of performance skills takes its place alongside working on reading from a music score and adding expression. The music can range from music created by music educators to demonstrate musical concepts all the way through to energetic arrangements of theme music from movies.

With children’s groups the emphasis is on laying the foundations for being able to read music and perform for an audience. As all children progress, the many and varied techniques of ringing are introduced and developed, as is the ever-increasing musicianship where simply playing the correct note at the correct time is only the start. Increasingly complex music with a greater part played by each individual ringer marks a progression from beginner to advanced ringer. Subtle shades, the ebb and flow of music to convey feeling and engagement with an audience are the aims of all of the groups.
Click here for some ideas for the use of handbells, handchimes or belleplates in schools.
Watch the video below to see the use of belleplates by a primary school:
Watch the video below to see the use of handbells by a high school:
Watcht the video below for a primary class using handchimes
Watch the video below for a primary school combining handchimes, handbells and untuned percussion
Notes:
[i] Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was a Hungarian composer, musicologist and educator.
[ii] Rhythm syllables are also called 'French time names' and are designed to allow the voice to mimic the patterns of rhythms used in music.
[iii] The French time names were devised in the 19th century by Émile-Joseph Chevé (1804-1864), his wife Nanine Paris (died 1868), her brother Aimé Paris (1798-1866) and Pierre Galin (1786–1821).
[iv] Émile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865 - 1950) was a Swiss musician and music educator.
[v] An ostinato is a rhythmic pattern or part of a tune which is persistently repeated.
[vi] Carl Orff (1895 - 1982) was a German composer who become very influential in the field of music education for his teaching theories.