Spring Training 2027
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, February 27, 2027
8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Where
Hope Valley Baptist Church (Gymnasium)
6900 Garrett Road
Durham, North Carolina 27707
Questions
Contact events@belldurham.org.
Registration
Groups and individuals are welcome to register.
Group Registration
Registration: $30/participant through December 31, 2026, or $40/participant on or after January 1, 2027
Tables: $10/table (no additional charge if you bring your own tables)
*Groups are expected to purchase their own music for the event. Ordering information is provided below.
All groups will be automatically placed in the “Veteran” track.
Individual Registration
Registration: $30/participant through December 31, 2026, or $40/participant on or after January 1, 2027
Music: $20/participant *Optional fee to have music provided for you at the event. If you prefer to purchase your own music rather than having it provided, ordering information is provided below.
During registration, individuals will have the option to select the “Rookie” (novice/beginner ringers) or “Veteran” (intermediate/advanced ringers) tracks.
Individual registrants buying their own music are encouraged to purchase 2-3 oct. versions when available.
1. Jump, Jive, Jam! (Phoebe T. T. Yeung)
· Purchase from HandbellWorld (2-3 oct. or 3-5 oct.)
· Purchase from CantoBell Hub (2-3 oct.)
· Purchase from CantoBell Hub (3-5 oct.)
2. Praise Unfolding (Sandra Eithun)
· Purchase from HandbellWorld (3-5 oct.)
· Purchase from Chorister’s Guild (3-5 oct.)
3. Heartsong (Cathy Moklebust)
· This piece is for the “veteran” track. Ringers attending the morning session for “novice” ringers do not need to purchase this piece.
· Purchase from HandbellWorld (2-3 oct. or 3-5 oct.)
· Purchase from Beckenhorst Press (2-3 oct.)
· Purchase from Beckenhorst Press (3-5 oct.)
4. Take Me Out to the Ballgame (arr. Mitchell Eithun)
· Purchase from SheetMusicPlus (3-5 oct.)
Rookie track (novice/beginner)
8:45-9:15 | Get Your Gloves On: Arrival
• Check in and be ready to ring by 9:15.
9:15-10:15 | Brand New Bell Game: Ringing and Technique Workshop
• Main Session 1: Learn 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: Rookies and veterans ring together as a full ensemble.
11:45-12:45 | Lunch in the Dugout
• Food will be provided.
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!
Veteran track (intermediate/advanced)
8:30-9:30 | Get Your Gloves On: Arrival
• Check in and be ready to ring by 9:30.
9:30-10:30 | Warm-up Drills: Ringing and Technique Workshop
• Main Session 1: Review techniques and begin practicing handbell music.
10:30-10:45 | Water Break
10:45-11:45 | Scrimmage: Full Ensemble Practice
• Main Session 2: Rookies and veterans ring together as a full ensemble.
11:45-12:45 | Lunch in the Dugout
• Food will be provided.
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!
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.