Hand bells

The kids and I have been participating this summer in a hand bell choir. We thought it would be kind of neat to try. We love it. It has been the most fun. The kids are learning to read music, which is like learning a foreign language. We have a performance in a little over two weeks. I'm excited, and I think the kids are, too.

With my musical background, I would love for the kids to be exposed to playing an instrument. The problem with that is I have no idea how to fit them for an instrument. And we don't have the money for private lessons. I could actually go through the chool system and they can participate in one extracurricular activity. I would love for that to be band or choir. But that would be up to the kids.

Anyway, watching their eyes light up when they've done something right has been really cool. Watching them learn yet another new thing, and learning it well, has been incredible. I love to watch them when they realize they can do something new. Specially when it's something they didn't think they could do.

We've been learning the Doxology we sing in church. The Doxology is just a short praise song we sing after our offering. The first time we played it was awful. Some of us hit the right note, and some of us really didn't. But we have gotten better and better every week. I keep quizzing the kids on the note names and stuff. I finally had to give them some space.

There is no practice this week. Too many were going to be out of town. We were supposed to be too, but that didn't happen. Our homework is to use plastic or foam cups and pretend to ring our bells in the right spot in the music. So we have to "play" our part. We haven't done it yet, but that's on the agenda for today.

August 3, if you can be there, at the church on the corner, come watch out hand bell choir. We're awesome (well, awesome enough for us). We will be performing at the 8:30, 10, and 11.

Have a great day!