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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
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Well, ladies I went ahead and splurged and bought this set of bells from Montessori and such:bells
They are not the premium quality ones, but I figure they will do for us,and the price was reasonable considering a piano or clarinet would cost much more. I also bought the felt board and music notes and signs set to put together a little music program for dd. She should be able to use them with her recorder also.
Should be fun!
Anyone have experience with bells and can give me some pointers?
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 3:21pm | IP Logged
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Theresa,
I didn't buy the nice set like you have - budget reasons. I did get this set from Hearthsong that my kids love. I also bought the lap harp too. They're both big hits and have really added to the music around here. I think you'll like the bells a lot!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer, those look wonderful! OOOH I wish I could get it all! 
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Meredith
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 3:53pm | IP Logged
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Theresa, the bells are so cool!! WE are very musical here, they might be added to the list too 
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 4:10pm | IP Logged
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Jennifer:
I LOVE the price on those bells! I wonder what material they are made out of, and if they could be painted? If so, I may break my budget this month and buy two sets to make something more similar to the Montessori version.
Let me know when you can. I've been thinking about how to manage a set of bells now - my son and my daycare children are so ready for something like this.
~Jessica
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 4:47pm | IP Logged
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Jessica -
The bell part is all metal, the bell ringer (on the inside on a coil/spring) is a large plastic ball. The coil/spring makes it so that you have to mean it in order to ring the bell. When you pick up this bell it doesn't just ring over and over again. The handles are plastic, but seem sturdy. The note for each bell is labeled on top of the handle. I guess it would be possible if you just taped/covered the handles and spray painted them. We love the bells very much!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Katie
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 5:48pm | IP Logged
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Discount School Supply also carries a set of bells that we have had for a couple of years. My kids really like them and at Christmas organized a concert for us. I haven't checked the other links so can't compare price and quality, but the DSS ones have held up to a lot of use and a lot of abuse from visiting toddlers who love them.
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Mother of 5 in South America. No 6 due in April.
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: June 01 2007 at 7:45pm | IP Logged
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Before I continue on the tangent, I'll answer Theresa's first question: the little bit of experience I've had working with the kids with the bells and similar listening exercises (and you may know this already), is that at least first, allow for as close to silence as possible (most of you are laughing right now, I know! Me too! Silence in our homes?). Once the work has been experienced a couple of times at least, more background noise is not as much of a distraction. This seems to be true for almost anything, but most particularly for those activities involving true listening, like hearing pitches. Just my thoughts.
I was just about set to order the Hearthsong bells when it dawned on me: no sharps. So I did some searching and found another set, identical except with the sharps. It's definitely out of our budget for right now  but it's on my list for next month. Darn! I was so excited to order these right now! On the same page they do have an "expansion set" as well, for anyone interested.
Actually, I've been all over the place.
Discount School Supply is $37.49 for one 8 note set - again this set is identical with Jennifer's.
Others have higher prices; the above site has free shipping above a certain amount (varies based on zip code I think), but does not have the "expansion set."
So, I am the weird one: I am going to order the basic set from DSS and the expansion set from the other company. With the free shipping (I'm ordering 2 complete sets), the price difference comes to $35, and I have another Montessori material in mind for that $35  I'd still prefer the more expensive ones... but that's still another $100... sigh.
God Bless!
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 9:44am | IP Logged
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I got my bells set up! I made a little music center in an old wardrobe cabinet and I think it will work very well!
Check it out!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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happymama
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| Posted: Feb 12 2010 at 7:30pm | IP Logged
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I couldn't see the Hearthsong link above, but I did recently get 2 sets of the 8-piece bells from HobbyLobby. The same ones are here.
They were $16 each. I painted each set a different, dark color and removed the sticker label from the top of each bell.
This material is fantastic.
I demonstrated both matching the bells and arranging one set in order.
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CatholicMommy
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We ultimately ending up purchasing a $500 Montessori set with gift money intended for that purpose. It has been SO wonderful! Any my son, who had no pitch when he started, within 3 months of beginning to work with the bells routinely is very very close to having pitch. Just from singing the note names 
For whatever price to get whatever set, I think it is SO important for children to be have an appropriate instrument from which they can learn pitch, note names, write their own music, etc - and then they can later take this knowledge and apply to any instrument they want - or just have a higher level of musical appreciation.
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Garden of Francis
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RA's Mom
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| Posted: March 16 2010 at 9:27pm | IP Logged
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We also made this investment at Christmas, justifying it as a reasonably priced instrument rather than a really expensive Montessori job. My husband is the musician, so we've been trying to hash out together how the bells work. After we excitedly rang all the bells on Christmas day. I realized that we need a several lessons on handling the bells – striking, dampening, carrying, dusting, etc. Silence and listening activities are also integral to using this material. The other presentations we're planning are (1) tone matching (2) scaling by ear and (3) pulling out bells in sets – perfect fourth, perfect fifth, chords – to listen to harmonies (4) playing songs ;)
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CatholicMommy
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| Posted: March 16 2010 at 11:57pm | IP Logged
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Oh yes - caring, carrying, striking are all the initial presentations. Basic sequence:
How to carry the bell from its place to another table. Return and repeat as necessary.
Then - how to strike the bell. (practice as much as desired - just the one bell) pencil grip towards the end so it hangs down, lightly swing into the edge of the rim (this practices holding a pencil for younger children too)
Return the bell.
Invite the child to repeat with one bell at a time, any bell.
Always play the scale up and down at the end of the presentation - this aids in training the musical ear.
Introduce the damper using just one bell at a separate table.
Then using two bells. Any two bells. Just to hear the varying pitches. With the mallet and the damper.
At some point, the dusting comes in - not touching the metal part with our hands should be included.
Then matching bells - 2 at a time, 3 at a time, etc.
Eventually work in grading them, using 2 (very high, very low), then 3 with decent pitch-space in between, then getting closer and closer until all can be graded.
Then there are various other exercises, but it's really about exploring the material: matching patterns with one person playing one set on one side of the room, and the second person matching; half-steps/whole-steps; singing pitch names, etc.
There is a Montessori Bells music guide available, but it is SO pricey and designed for large classroom use. Perhaps I can put it together a homeschool version...
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Garden of Francis
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Christine
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I purchased these true tone handbells from Lakeshore Learning Curriculum after seeing them in the store nine years ago. They were great until my two youngest sons decided to take them apart last year. I could not repair them.
Song cards are available, too.
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Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: bells
