Group to Offer Free Program to Children of Incarcerated Parents

Maisey Downs says she loves playing handbells after school because "the music is really fun and they have great snacks. Sometimes we get popcorn." The Stafford Handbell Society's Bells After School program has a national reputation for musical excellence and innovative teaching techniques. Now, with the help of a generous grant from a private Virginia family foundation, Bells After School is extending its hand to one of the areas most underserved populations - children of incarcerated parents.
Program Director, Neesa Hart, who pioneered and leads Bells After School, says, "Our country is finally coming to terms with the realities of our incarceration rates on future generations. The child of an incarcerated parent is 6 times more likely to end up in the correctional system than his or her typical peers - and it starts early. They will generally experience their first arrest before age 18 - often the catalyat to a lifetime in the system. The cost of quality childcare for custodial parents is a key barrier to breaking the cycle." In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Bureau of Prisons uses the results of 3rd grade reading SOLs to determine future space needs in Virginia Prisons. Eighty percent of boys who fail the 3rd grade reading SOL will experience incarceratikn at least once in their lifetime. In Virginia, prison capacity expansion funding relies heavily on that statistic because legislators know those 8-year-old boys will be absorbed into the system in 10 years. According to Hart, the situation is even more dire when one, or both, parents are incarcerated. When parents already struggling with the high cost of incarceration and the loss of an income come face to face with childcare costs, decisions are made that often put hurting kids into environments where tbey are isolated and poorly supervised. This increases their risk of becoming disenfranchised, falling behind in school, and experiencing depression, anxiety, shame and hopelessness.
In a new initiative announced this year, Bells After School is seeking to change that. The Bells After School program operates in Stafford and Fredericksburg. Kids K-12 are picked up at school and transported to the program's 7000 square foot studio where they receive snacks, homework assitance and music lessons through team-based English handbell ringing. Students can remain at the studio as late as 630 for parent pickup. Enrolling now for the spring semester, Bells After School is offering families experiencing incarceration free tuition for two days per week for kids K-12. Additional days are available at greatly reduced costs. It's an effort to get kids who are most at risk into a safe, welcoming environment where thay can achieve at their own pace, develop a sense of community, learn discipline and mutual respect, and get on a path to success that can break the cycle.
If you are wondering what that has to do with handbells, or maybe even wondering what a handbell is, Hart offers this explanation: "Handbells are percussion instruments that are tuned - like keys on a piano. Each bell plays one note. The most famous example in popular culture is the Hershey's Kisses Christmas Commercial featuring the kisses as bells. Muscians work together as a team to play all the notes in a song. Picture 10 people seated on a giant piano bench, and each person is responsible for two notes. That's how it is with bells. Beautiful music is achieved through teamwork."
Many have the idea that bells are played only in churches at Christmas, but The Stafford Handbell Society is on the front lines of a national movement to change those ideas - and particularly as they relate to kids. Their Bells After School curriculum was developed right here in Stafford and has been nationally implemented
According to Hart, the reasons for using handbells as an after school music resource are many. All practice is done in lessons and rehearsal, so students do not purchase their own instruments. "This is a great equalizer," Hart says, "and removes the economic barriers to musical success." The Bells After School curriculum also hits quality education at all levels. The benefits of music instruction are well documented. Music builds concentration, improves math skills and develops higher cognitive skills. "With handbells, Hart says, she says, "you get more." Bells provide a low impact, cardiovascular activity. The left and right hands work equally which develops ambidexterity and improves brain function. They are played as part of an ensemble, which is a team building skill and provides social benefits as well as developing citizenship skills of responsibility, commitment and team dynamics. All After School Students in the program are taught and expected to share their skills with new ringers, which creates a mentoring environment and fosters a healthy team dynamic. The students build relationships with each other and their instructors.
Hart says the environment is welcoming by design. "When we make music together, there are no racial, social, political, economic or religious barriers. We work together toward a common goal - which builds community, improves ringers' self-esteem, and unites us through a musical art." At the Stafford Handbell Society - there is a motto: Every Ringer Counts. Hart explains the double meaning like this - "Playing handbells is a percussion skill. Each musician must count rhythms and beats to play at the correct time. But to us, it means that every ringer, from smallest to.tallest, youngest to oldest, beginning, intermediate and advanced, COUNTS in our organization. We love people and we love handbells and we are blessed to bring the two things together." Every member of an ensemble is equally important. There are no "first chairs" in handbells. The entire group performs as one.
The Bells After School program accepts kids regardless of musical training. Beginning, intermediate and advanced musicians are placed in one of 6 ringing ensembles to meet each individual's needs. The program's premier youth Ensemble, Ring It!, has a national reputation for excellence and hosts the annual National Honors Handbell Ensemble - an auditioned event for highly advanced youth ringers here in Fredericksburg. This year, the Handbell Society instituted a new scholarship fund for graduating seniors. Students in the premier ensemble who have played at least two years receive a $500 college scholarship to the school of their choice. All students in the Bells After School program qualify for the scholarship by developing the skills to play in Ring It! The Bells After School program uses a belted-achievement plan similar to martial arts So as students achieve certain benchmarks, they level up toward becoming master ringers. This gives every student a tangible path to success. Hart explains it like this: "In music hard work counts, but in handbells, it gets you farther faster. Nearly any obstacle to musical success can be overcome through determination and tenacity when you play handbells - and that's a lesson that transfers to life."
"We see this new initiative for the kids of incarcerated parents as one of many ways we are using handbells to build a better community," Hart says. The program already offers the most affordable afterschool program in the area, with fees starting at just $35 per week, multi student discounts, and scholarship opportunities for families in need. "We do require a parent contract, high standards of discipline, respect and commitment," Hart explains, "but we are committed to using music and handbells to shape great musicians AND great citizens." Maisey Downs has been playing bells for 3 years. She is currently working on her blue belt mastery skills. She says she loves handbells because she, "loves ringingbwith friends and thinks the bells are really cool. Everyone should do this," she says. "Bells rock."
For information on Bells After School, and to inquire about enrollment, fees, scholarshops and program opportunities, call 540-850-3700, or see the program website at www.BellsAfterSchool.com