Group is handy with bells

The group performs on a set of 61 Schulmerich
brass hand bells.

By LINDA M. LINONIS

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

POLAND — By the time the Village Ringers perform during worship services Dec. 23 at Poland Presbyterian Church, the group will have practiced many hours and polished its presentation.

What it takes to get to the performance level is dedication and a love of music.

From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursdays at the church at 2 Poland Manor, the 14 members of the hand-bell group rehearse. The musicians stand at their stations, positioned to form an extended U shape, in the room. The hand bells set on cushioned tables, each equipped with a music stand.

Errol Kehrberg, while playing, calls out directions and comments and counts from his spot near the middle of the group.

“One and two and three and four ...”

“Don’t wear the music out.”

“Let’s hear that tone wiggle a bit.”

“The melody is in the bass, so upper bells, quiet down.”

Kehrberg offers encouragement — “that was good” and some chiding — “don’t rush it.”

Kehrberg retired in 1999 as a teacher at Boardman High School, but he’s currently assisting in the choral music department there. He’s been music director at Poland Presbyterian since 1980 and the hand-bell choir director for about a decade.

Kehrberg explained that the Village Ringers perform on a set of 61 Schulmerich brass hand bells, which cover five octaves. “They’re a well-known manufacturer of bells, and they’re American made,” he said.

“The low sounds are produced by the biggest bells, some weighing 20 pounds. They’re the hardest to play,” he said. “You have to have good biceps for that.” The smallest bells, weighing ounces, produce the higher tones.

Each member plays a set of bells. Some have three bells, others six to eight bells. The bell ringers, both men and women who range from age 18 to 70s, all wear gloves to protect the brass bells even though the players hold the bells by their leather straps.

“It’s good to have some musical background,” Kehrberg said. “Knowing how to read music is a help.”

Part of the process is learning how to handle the bells to get short and long sounds, Kehrberg explained. The group also uses bell chimes to add special sounds, and mallets are used to strike the bells to get other sounds. If someone misses a note or a part of it, there’s silence.

Barbara Moore has been a member of the Village Ringers for almost 20 of the nearly 50 years she has belonged to Poland Presbyterian. She said she was recruited when other family members were playing and someone else was needed. “I just love playing and enjoy it so much,” she said.

Moore admitted playing the bells can be “tense and frustrating” at times but the effort is worthwhile. Moore’s brother, the late Jack Brownlee, gave a bequest to the church for the hand-bell program.

One of Moore’s favorite selections, “Carol of the Bells,” will be one of the three songs that the Village Ringers will perform in the concert planned at 9 and 11 a.m. services Dec. 23. The others are “Rise Up Shepherd and Follow” and “Once in Royal David’s City.”

“The bells sound even better in the sanctuary,” Moore said. “We got such a response from the congregation when we did the Lord’s Prayer.” The Village Ringers perform every six weeks or so at the church.

Chris Wilshusen, an 18-year-old senior at Boardman, has been with the ringers since the fall. Kehrberg asked him to join.

“It’s a great experience,” the young musician said. “Musically, it has helped me a lot with counting when I’m singing. And it’s helped with keeping rhythm.

“I think of this as sharing our gifts from God with the congregation,” said Wilshusen, who belongs to another church.

Patty Miles, another member, agreed. “I think of this as an expression of my faith and beliefs. It’s musical, but it’s a spiritual thing,” she said.

Laurie Crisan, another ringer, said her musical background helped. “The feeling among the group is special,” she said.

For Dave Scott, playing the bells is “therapy.” A third-year member, he said, “I just like to make music.”

Emily E. Slaven, who has been a Village Ringer for more than a decade and is a music teacher at BHS, said she likes “the challenge.” “The people make this what it is,” she said of the hand-bell players. She noted that the music ministry at the church has always been an important part of worship.

Rounding out the group are Maryanne Lidstone, Mary Lou Volchko, Bonnie Small, Peggy Evans, Emily J. Slaven, Sharon Dubec and Matt Miles.