Chime Girls

This semester I have been privileged to teach a group of eight 4th-6th grade girls how to play chimes, and to share with them my love of handbells. I remember very fondly the time I spent in Parkwood's "Heavenly Echoes," and was excited to get the opportunity to share that with children. I'll admit, the semester started off rather rough, and I was concerned about whether they could pull it off. A number of them don't read music, which was the biggest challenge. I even remember asking Genny at one point if we could just disband the chime choir and split them between the other two groups, sign and boomwhackers. Of course, she told me to stick with it and see how it goes. I'm so glad I did!

This past Sunday the girls "performed" for the first time, playing "Majesty" for the offertory in both morning services. They did such a good job. Genny accompanied us on the piano, which added another layer of musicality to the song, and helped fill in some gaps. The first service was nearly flawless; the second service had a bit of a rough patch, but they pulled it together and finished strong. Sarah, Breanne, Ally, Libby, Abigail, Christine, Hannah, and Elleigh - I was so proud of you!

Check out the video on Elleigh's parents' blog to hear the girls play "Majesty". You can't see the whole group, but you can hear them. Beautiful!
http://4hallgirls.blogspot.com/2008/04/majesty.html