‘Liberty Bells’ To Debut at Wheeling Park High School Festival of Sound
Trending
WHEELING -- Wheeling Park High School has purchased 60 handbells with the help of donors, and the music department's new "Liberty Bells" choir will make its debut at the upcoming Festival of Sound.
The annual celebration of WPHS's musicians and singers takes place at 7 p.m. on December 15 and 16, and 2 p.m. on Dec. 18 in the J.B. Chambers Performing Arts Center.
WPHS now has on hand five octaves of handbells, which means a total of 60 bells. The cost represented an investment of about $50,000, according to WPHS choir director Joyce Jingle.
Bells "are expensive," she noted. Often one bell can cost as much as $1,500.
"This is a major purchase," she said. "We wouldn't have been able to do this without foundations and help from the community.
The Stifel Foundation funded the purchase of the first bells at about $12,000. Since then, the school has added bells to complete the five-octave set through the generosity of the Helen Prince Foundation and Scott Brown, she said. Additionally, contributions through Donors Choose also permitted the music department to purchase needed accessories for the bells.
Referencing the school's "Patriot" moniker, the music department chose the name "Liberty Bells" for their new handbell choir. This group began as an idea in the spring of last year, Jingle explained.
A few years back, the choir had performed a song titled "Ringo's Bells," and borrowed handbells from Vance Memorial Church, she explained. But transporting them was an issue.
She had hoped they sometime would acquire handbells of their own to have in the event they discovered the right musical composition in which to use them. More than 20 students are currently working after school to rehearse with the bells, Jingle added.
"I have never been involved in a bell choir before as a performer or a director, so the learning curve is steep," she said. "But it is fun to learn right along with the students."
She said the challenges for her included knowing what level of music to select for beginners, learning the techniques in ringing, and learning the teaching strategies to get them to identify notes they have to play.
The Liberty Bells will perform Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" as the handbell feature during the Festival of Sound.
The festival will feature all of the music ensembles offered at Wheeling Park including the concert band, jazz band, choir, steel drums, percussion ensemble and orchestra, as well as the debut of the handbells.
About 300 students will participate, according to Jingle.