Press Release from Friends of Music
Friends of Music has donated $500 to help Hedgesville Middle School refurbish the handbells used by its handbell ensemble.
The school's handbell set, a four-octave set made by Malmark Bellcraftsmen, consists of 48 bells. Such bells must be professionally serviced periodically, a process known as refurbishment.
Refurbishment is a painstaking, 55-step process that includes inspection and disassembly of every bell for cleaning, polishing and repairs, as well as inspection of cases and hardware.
"The Friends of Music Grant has helped us to reach our goal of refurbishment," said music teacher Laura Rihn. "Malmark completed the full process this summer and the bells are back good as new. Thank you for helping to keep our program, which has been in existence for over 20 years, going."
The accompanying photo shows some of Ms. Rihn's students with some of the bells.
The Friends of Music donation is part of a Friends grant program to support music education in Berkeley and Jefferson County schools. The grants typically involve instruments and music supplies not covered by regular school budgets. The grants are awarded annually based on applications submitted by music teachers.
The Friends of Music organization is a Shepherdstown-based, non-profit group founded in 1999 to support and promote musical excellence. It supports the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, the only professional classical music orchestra in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one of only three such orchestras in the state. Full information about the Friends is available at www.friendswv.org.