Concerns Raised Over Handbell Choir Performance

Despite concerns about students missing three days of school, and the potential costs of the trip, the Bedminster Township School Board of Education approved a request Nov. 29 for the 11 members of the school’s handbell choir to travel to Boston in May for the Boston Handbell Festival.

According to Joshua Copeland, vocal and handbell choir teacher, he had been talking to a colleague of his about the lack of festivals and performance opportunities for primary and middle school handbell choirs in New Jersey.

“Most festivals are only open to high school groups and above because it is unusual to have a middle school ensemble ringing at that level,” he said. “After a few years in which we had sought a collaborative performance opportunity with the few middle school bell choirs that do exist in the state, I was growing frustrated with plans falling through.”

This year, Copeland said, he asked his friend to forward his information to the board of directors for the 2013 Boston Handbell Festival.

“I knew it was a long shot because it is quite a distance for us to travel from Bedminster, however he thought it would be a good fit because the festival benefits Boston’s public elementary/middle school music program through a donation of two octaves of Choir Chimes,” he said.

Up until now, Copeland said, the festival had never featured an ensemble with students in primary and middle schools.

“This will be quite an honor to be the featured youth ensemble at the festival,” he said. “Not only will the students have the opportunity to play by themselves during the concert, but they will get to hear other top-notch ensembles and join them in a massed ringing experience for the final performance piece of the concert.”

“The students will also be given a master class in bell ringing by the Back Bay Ringers of Boston the evening prior to the festival concert,” he added.

But the first concerns from the board concerned the costs of traveling all the way to Boston for multiple days.

Board of education president Louis Casella said they have to be consistent in terms of approving this trip and then having to deal with others in the future.

“There have been some similar trips at the high school level, and we have both let them go and not,” he said.

At this point, the projected costs of the trip are $500 per child, but parents present at the board meeting said they are on board for paying whatever it costs, and are hoping to figure out some kind of carpooling so they don’t have to charter a bus.

“And we have checked with liability and legal, and we would have to get documents for the parents to sign about that,” said Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Koos.

Representatives with the band said they are planning to have some parent chaperones, as well as Copeland and instrumental teacher Scott Lefurge.

“So we would have to provide substitutes for three days, and that’s a cost,” Casella said.

Lefurge said they can actually cancel instrumental classes when he is away, which would save the need for a substitute for him.

With other trips, Casella said, like the eighth grade trip to Washington D.C., they fundraise to pay all costs of going there, which is something they could consider in this instance as well.

But for those going on the trip, it is about the first opportunity to show off the talents of the middle school group.

“The nature of the trip is it is featuring the school handbell choir, and we want to showcase them,” Lefurge said. “This is a big honor that they want to use our school as a role model and prototype of what to do in other schools.”

Board member Caitlyn Parker said she is concerned about taking the students away from their educational classes for that many days.

“This is an extracurricular like any other clubs, and this would be taking three days away from academics, which is why we exist,” she said. “This is a precedence-setting request, and if we approved this, what else would we be expected to approve?”

“I really have an issue with missing school for extracurriculars,” she added.

Lefurge said that the handbells are actually part of the curriculum that Copeland teaches.

“Everyone who takes music learns handbells, and then you try out for the choir,” Lefurge said. “A lot of things are extracurricular because we don’t have time during the school day, but it’s a curricular-based trip.”

In addition, Lefurge said, the trip is toward the end of the year after all the major assessments have been completed.

“Those major assessments we spend a lot of time addressing [are over],” he said. “I’m sure based on the nature of the students’ involvement, whatever was missed would be made up, and these kids would be held accountable.”

Lefurge said that if the festival were in New Jersey, it would probably be just one day, but because it is in Boston, they need the extra time.

“It is kind of like when science teachers go showcase other things, we’re being asked to showcase,” he said.

Board member Judy Creelman said she believes there should be a policy for this kind of situation.

“I think this is a neat opportunity, and it does touch on music,” she said. “I could see other groups wanting to do stuff like this. We have to decide not just the cost factor, but the loss of the child in the academics here, and what we are gaining by being able to do that.”

Parker said she is also concerned that because of the costs, it is possible that students will not be able to participate in future programs like this.

“Will it preclude some children from participating in the future if there are trips like this?” she asked. “This is rather a costly trip, and I think it’s fantastic parents have stepped forward.”

Casella said he believes they could approve this one-time event, and, in the future, create a policy concerning these kinds of trips.

In addition, Casella said, they have to determine the costs for teacher substitutes, as well as whether a nurse is needed in the case of emergencies on the trip or if the parents’ guidance is enough for a school-sanctioned event.

“I want to know the rules for that because of the case that something happens while they’re on the trip and there’s no nurse,” Creelman said.

But for several board members, the biggest concern was still how many days the students will miss.

“I think it’s a great thing for this year, but I would hate every year to have 12 kids out for three days, and lose the value of two great teachers for those days,” said board member Emily Casperson. “While I am proud of the handbell choir, that is a really long time.”

Board member Brian Haggerty said that the trip is in May, so there are still ways to tweak and change the requirements for the students.

“We’re just authorizing them to accept [with the festival] on behalf of the school,” he said.

Despite Parker voting against it, the board authorized the students to perform in the festival.