How exactly do you use them? Do you just go through the music and pull out the notes that are in those chords?
People have different preferences for this. Some like chords and some like a single line of notes. I prefer a single line of notes. This is mainly because having full chords seems like it would either make for very large charts or I would have to make the individual circles too small to see at the back of the primary room.
When I first started making charts I did a single line of notes from the harmony because that is what I saw other people doing online. Eventually I switched to doing a single line of melody notes because the kids get really excited when they start to hear the song in their bells. I sometimes still do harmony notes due to the melody being too complex for the kids on the bells or a desire to just do something different.
I lead the bell charts by pointing to each note with a telescoping pointer as it should be played. I tell the kids to play their bells when I point to their circles.
I can picture Senior Primary doing really well with it, but how does it work with Junior?
I was initially very reluctant to try bells with Junior primary and saved them for Senior primary only. After a while I relaxed and decided to try it with Junior too. They did great with following the
rules and really enjoyed them. Of course they didn't hit every note and that's okay. (More on that in the next question)
What about the kids who don't have a bell? Do you switch quickly to let everyone get a turn? I feel like no one would get very good at it, but maybe that is just how it goes?
When we are just having fun in primary I give a bell to every other child. We will generally sing through a verse twice (or sing two verses) and then switch so that kids who didn't have bells have one. Everyone gets a turn and enjoys it. We don't get the bells down perfectly, but that's not why we are doing the bells. We are doing the bells to have fun while we sing. Bells are a great way to review because the kids love them and will happily sing the same song over and over again if they get a turn to play the bells. Plus this way everyone gets to try different bells, which is fun too. Even if it's not perfect it's still really fun and sounds cool.
When we are practicing to perform in sacrament meeting or elsewhere I make sure I have a bell available for everyone to use.* I assign each child a bell before we ever start practicing and for a couple weeks everyone gets the same bell every time to practice. This way they have a chance to learn their bells better.
*I was fortunate to have a presidency member already own a set of bells inaddition to my own, so we had enough bells for everyone in senior to have on at once. If you don't have that many you may want to rotate through smaller groups for performing.
Do you use them in the primary program?
I did not use them during my first program. It was enough just getting ready for the program without having to figure out how to do the bells in a performance setting too. We did use the bells plenty during primary in the months leading up to the program as a fun way to review. After the first program, when we had more time, we did learn a few Christmas songs and played the bells in sacrament a couple time in December and at the ward Christmas party. After the program and before the new year is a great, low pressure time for the chorister and the kids to figure out how to play the bells in a performance setting.
For my second primary program we had a lot more experience with bells and had played them in sacrament several times. We used them in our program as well. Only Senior gets to perform with them. I intend to write another blog post specifically about performing. I'll include more info there.
What set did you buy? Where did you get them?
A Guide to Buying Handbells
How many songs do you use them for?
I used the handbells to perform 2 to 4 songs a year, but their real value lies in review. I would say 50 to 75% of the songs we worked on got reviewed using handbells at some point.
How loud are the handbells? Are they distracting to others in the building?
I regularly remind the kids to use a light touch when playing their bells as the sound is a lot nicer this way. When played this way they are not particularly loud. I never heard of the bells being disruptive to others in the building although I imagine the way the building is setup could affect this.
Go here to read more about the rules I use when doing handbells in primary.
