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March 31, 2006
Choir leader's lessons clear as a bell
More than two decades ago, Marilyn Chandler developed a love for handbell ringing. She has since directed several choirs, taught a workshop at a handbell festival and was asked to perform in a concert with some of the best bell-ringers in the United States. Now she directs the Handbell Ringers of Sun City, the longest continuous active handbell choir in Arizona.
Chandler had to overcome some obstacles in pursuit of her passion.
She was born with a 30 percent hearing loss, a condition that progressively has gotten worse.
"It adds a little extra burden because I can't hear every bell," Chandler said. "These ears are not as good as your God-given ears."
Chandler has since gotten hearing aids, but she also had to develop different communication techniques to work with her students. She decided she wanted to share those techniques through workshops with other handbell choir directors.
"I want to get this message out, because there's going to be a lot more hearing-impaired people," Chandler said.
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 28 million Americans have a hearing impairment, 10 million have suffered irreversible noise-induced hearing loss, and 30 million more are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day.
Chandler, who lives in Avondale, began her workshops two years ago at a handbell festival in Tucson. This summer she will teach at a festival in Denver and in 2007 she hopes to take her workshop to the national level.
"I'm going to give them earplugs and I have them ring music and they begin to understand what it's like not to be able to hear as well as a full-hearing person can," Chandler said.
She also provides them with communication guidelines, some of which can be used outside of the handbell classroom, such as speaking clearly or addressing a person by name to get their attention before speaking to them.
Although most of her choir has full hearing, Chandler said, she is constantly using the guidelines.
"When you get older, you can't hear as well," she said. "I am working with people who have hearing impairments."
Chandler's main focus is teaching her choir to produce soul-moving music in their concerts and to constantly challenge themselves.
"Being a director is an absolute privilege," Chandler said. "It's also a tremendous responsibility, because they expect you to lead them to do their very best. I started handbells 25 years ago and have never looked back. It's been a real joy. It's a sense of accomplishment."
Beth Cochran
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/0331gl-bellringers29Z1.html
Posted by 4HL on March 31, 2006 8:40 AM
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