Bats in the Belfry

So today was an adventure. I mean besides classes, reading, the gym, dinner, lunch, etc. I got to go to a carillon concert!

I know, what's a carillon? Basically, it's an instrument in bell towers that plays songs. It's set up like a piano (with keys set above the "white" keys like the black keys on a keyboard, but they're all made of wood), with foot pedals like an organ. MSU has one, and every day at noon someone plays a solo on it. And for the entire summer, they have guest carilloners come and play recitals. So I went!

I sat out on the lawn on a towel (cause I don't have a blanket, ha). There were actually a lot of people there, scattered about on lawn chairs, blankets, and some just on the grass. The performer played a lot of great stuff. He started with Handel's Royal Fireworks Suite (which I played in an orchestra in high school) - so fun! My students even played a movement of that this year! He also played some Irish and English folk songs like "Morning Has Broken" and even the Habanera from Carmen! Wow!

Afterwards, we got to climb up inside Beaumont tower, where the carillon is located.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont_Tower

There another guy demonstrated the carillon for us. It was so cool! You hit the wooden keys with your closed fists, really bizarre. Then he let people play it! I got to play it! He had sheet music, so I picked "Simple Gifts" in Bb and went off. It was fun! Afterwards this lady complimented me on my playing. She thought I had done it before. (guess my 9 years of piano lessons paid off, huh?) I also got to look at the bells that make up the instrument. Some of them weigh 2.5 TONS! Really cool. I also talked to the guy who performed. He was nice - asked me about the fires in CA after I told him where I was from. He also said he had callouses on the sides of his hands. Is that weirder than my thumb callous? You tell me.

Hopefully, when I get back, I will post videos and pictures and all sorts of stuff. That way you can get an idea of what's been going on.

Love you all!

BTW, Beaumont Tower is "the" main building on campus - like Royce Hall at UCLA. It's pretty cool. And it's right next to the music building, which makes it especially awesome!