It Rings A Bell

I recently found a site on Facebook that's entitled "Since I Traveled With Up With People..." where former cast members talk about how being in the cast still impacts their lives, in some serious, and sometimes, not so serious ways.

While I never traveled with a national UWP cast, I would say my almost 4 years in Sing-Out South still impacts my life today. For one thing, I still have a bad case of the grease paint. By that I mean, whenever I am around a performing group, it brings back so many memories of being in SOS. It happened to me for many years each fall when I was part of the annual Gridiron Show here in Nashville where members of the local Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) group roasted the area's politicians and other officials in songs and in skits to raise money for college scholarships.

It happened to me again yesterday when I attended my wife Betty Lee's handbell concert. She is a part of Music City Bronze, a community-wide English Handbell choir that has been performing around Nashville and Middle Tennessee for over 4 years now.

If that's not enough to remind me of what we did in Sing-Out, I was reminded even more watching them break down their equipment and load up it up in their cars (bells, tables, other items) after the show. They also had some buckets at the door if you wanted to contribute to the cause after enjoying the free concert....

When most people think of English Handbells, they think of Christmas music, and Music City Bronze conducts a number of concerts throughout the holiday season. But the group also
performs a lot of other music. As witnessed by yesterday's program that included a medley of songs from Les Miserables, The Syncopated Clock, Sabre Dance and Vision Quest.

It got me to wondering what Sing-Out/UWP music would sound great with an arrangement in English Handbells. What do you think? Up With People? Design for Dedication? We Volunteer? Gee, I'm Looking Forward to the Future? Pleae leave your suggestions below or e-mail them to me. (pat.nolan@dvl.com)

Now don't laugh. Music City Bronze did a rendition of the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations at yesterday's concert and it was very good.

By the way, if you are in the Nashville area, and you are interested, Music City Bronze's next concerts are Sunday, May 2 at 4:00 p.m. at Woodbine United Methodist Church, 2621 Nolensville Road in Nashville and Sunday, May 9 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Ignatius Catholic Community, 601 Bell Road in Antioch.