Spring Training 2026

A Handbell Educational Event by Bell Durham

Join the team

If you can read music, you are invited — whether you are a rookie with no handbell experience or a veteran ringer. Individuals and groups are welcome.



Play ballbells

Prepare for the new season! Learn to play handbells for the first time or polish up your ringing techniques.

Explore music

Ring a variety of music–sacred, secular, pop, and much more–and share it with others at our mini-concert.

Event Details

When:
Saturday, January 31, 2026, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Where:
Hope Valley Baptist Church (Gymnasium)
6900 Garrett Road
Durham, North Carolina 27707

Questions?
Contact events@belldurham.org.

Registration

Early Bird Registration: $25/participant (before December 20, 2025)
Regular Registration: $30/participant (on or after December 21, 2025)
All payments must be received by January 17, 2026. Fees payable by PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp. Contact events@belldurham.org to pay by check.

Individual Registration Group Registration

Meet our clinician

MITCHELL EITHUN is a church musician, composer, and mathematician. He has over 80 published pieces of handbell music, including commissions from prominent community and church handbell ensembles. Mitchell is interested in developing innovative handbell rehearsal techniques and writing about the history of church music. Currently Mitchell is the handbell editor for Beckenhorst Press, and a carillonneur at Duke University Chapel. He is also the founding director of Bell Durham, a community handbell ensemble in Durham, North Carolina and recently completed a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology and the Arts from Duke Divinity School. Mitchell also holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science and a minor in music from Ripon College and a Master of Science in computational mathematics from Michigan State University.  He is an associate member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and a seminar instructor for the Handbell Musicians of America. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new food and traveling to new places.

8:45-9:30 | Get Your Gloves On: Arrival

  • Begin loading equipment as early as 8:45.
  • Check in and be ready to ring by 9:30.

9:30-10:30 | Drills: Ringing and Technique Workshop

  • Main Session 1: Learn or review how to ring handbells and read handbell music.

10:30-10:45 | Water Break

10:45-11:45 | Scrimmage: Full Ensemble Practice

  • Main Session 2: Ring together as a full ensemble.

11:45-12:45 | Lunch in the Dugout

  • Food will be provided.
  • Learn about music available for small ensembles.

12:45-1:45 | Reviewing the Playbook: Reading Session

  • Main Session 3: Sight-read music from a variety of genres.

1:45-2:00 | Water Break

2:00-2:30 | Team Huddle: Practice

  • Prepare for a short concert by reviewing music from the morning sessions.

2:30-3:00 | Play Ball: Mini-concert

  • Invite your friends to the game! Tickets are free!