Denton Bell Band

1. Denton Bell Band Celebrating thirty years of making joyful music together. 1978 - 2008

2. Who we are… The Denton Bell Band, Inc. is organized as a 501(c)(3) corporation. Our members all live in apartments, group homes, foster homes, or with family in or near the City of Denton. Some of the individuals were part of handbell choirs that were organized at the Denton State School in the seventies.

3. In the beginning…… In 1978 there was a set of handbells locked in a closet. They were not being used, because everyone knew that they were very expensive, very fragile, and irreplaceable. KEEP STUDENTS AWAY FROM THE BELLS. THEY COST MUCHO $$. FRAGILE !!! DO NOT TOUCH! DO NOT PLAY!

4. The plot thickens…… Young Joseph Pinson, who rarely paid attention to signs, asked for permission to use the bells. And someone said, “What bells? I didn’t know that we had any bells. Go for it!” And so began a new chapter in the history of the school.

5. Support is available…. Mr. Pinson was fortunate to have a young Dennis Schurter as his supervisor. Dennis encouraged use of the bells, and was very patient about seeing positive results. Two years later he began to recognize one of the melodies that the bells are playing.

6. Moving forward…. Mr. Pinson explored many methods for using handbells with special groups. The bell manufacturer asked him to write a book telling about these methods. It has been published in three editions Let_______ Everyone_________Ring Handbells for Special Populations Schulmerich Carillons, Inc.

7. Exploring methods…. Methods using roll charts were explored but at first with very little success. One method that was used for several years involved a set of two lights (one for the right hand - one for the left) for each ringer. The director controlled the lights. This video shows the lightboards in operation.

8. Lightboard Rehearsal

9. Finding relevance….. The lightboards were very useful in the chapel services. The director improvised preludes, and one of the students directed notes from the pentatonic scale during the hymns.The next video shows the lightboards as they were used in the chapel service.

10. Bells in the Chapel

11. Looking beyond….. We began performing off campus with the lightboards, but they were cumbersome, and the results were not all that thrilling. Mr. Pinson heard about a special choir that used two directors. We began exploring roll charts again with this newly found wisdom.

12. Two Directors

13. A New Direction A young woman who was blind came to us. She had perfect pitch and very good rhythm. She became the accompanist for the bell choir. When she graduated, we continued with synthesizer accompaniment.

14. A New Sound

15. On the Road….. Annual tours have taken the Bell Band all across Texas, performing in these cities: Dallas, Terrell, Tyler, Marshall, Rusk, Lufkin, Mexia, Paris, McKininey, Greenevile, Dennison, Mt. Pleasant,

16. Texarkana, Lampasas, Waco, Temple, Waxahachie, Austin, Stephenville, Ft. Worth, Bryan, Corsicana, Huntsville, Spring, Richmond, Brenham, Abilene, Lubbock, Big Spring, Gilmer, Mineral Wells, Sweetwater, Wichita Falls, Clarksville, Canton, Bonham, Gilmer,

17. Burleson, Hillsboro, Clifton, Georgetown, Waco, Bastrop, Manchaca, Post, Palestine, Weatherford, Plano, Bogata, and a few we have forgotten. We have made many new friends during these travels, and it is always a joy to return to place where we have played before.

18. Performing in Denton In Denton we perform for schools, churches, and nursing homes. In January we do a televised service from the First United Methodist Church. In May we perform and the annual Arts & Jazz Festival.

19. Performing at FUMC….

20. More information…. You can find out more about the Denton Bell Band by visiting our website: www.bellband.org