Roxanne Wigen has been ringing since Faith got its first two octaves of hand bells, and the Ringers of Faith formed in 1982.
“Once you ring, I think you are hooked,” she said.
She loves hand bells and the sounds they bring to music.
“Many times when we are doing a piece I get chills up and down my arms as I hear the melody with all the different octaves melding together,” she said.
Roxanne sees ringing as a challenging hobby, and says each ringer has their own “mini” fears about performances.
“I tend to get fidgety before we play,” Roxanne said,” but once we start playing, the music flows through me and I just concentrate on the notes and the director.”
The ringers practice at 5:15 p.m. on Monday nights. Practice is Roxanne’s favorite part. She said total concentration is needed to prepare a piece.
“Any external worries,” she said, “like work, and family, just float way [during practice].”
Practice is also a good time to share fun mistakes – everyone makes them – with the group. Although, mistakes can happen during a performance as well. Once Roxanne was directing the group during a performance when they came upon an especially loud section of the song. Roxanne got carried away and hit her baton on the music stand, which sent the stand flying past one of the Ringers. It landed right next to Pastor Randy.
“When I looked up, the expression on his face was priceless,” she said.
You can become a member of the Ringers of Faith. They’re looking to fill a couple openings. Intrigued? Come get your feet wet at the “Intro to Hand Bells” class on Sunday Mornings Feb. 24-March. 24 @ 9:15am.
Read “Why I Ring: Part I” here.
