Mary Voigt has been leading children into the wonderful world of music by directing a handbell choir in Lindsborg. For almost 20 years Voigt has volunteered her time and talent to the homeschool and church community by teaching technique, timing and the love of music, one note at a time.

Mary found a way to teach bells by borrowing an idea from Lan Nelson’s Bethany Home Chime Choir. She says younger students use a color-coded page to follow along with the lyrics, then ring their bell to match the color at the appropriate time.

“If they can follow the words along and just ring their bells when they get to the right place, it all fits in,” she said. As the children mature, musical notes are added to the score sheets.

The joy of music has always been part of Mary’s life, from playing flute in high school through her pursuit of an engineering degree in college, to the present. The Connecticut native moved to Kansas with her husband Richard when the US Air Force assigned him to McConnell AFB. Their family later made Lindsborg their home.

On most Friday afternoons during the school year, Voigt can be found at the Bethany Lutheran Church ringing bells and encouraging students to enjoy the beautiful, or vacker, music they create.

The Homeschool Bell Choir performs several times a year at area churches, events and retirement homes in the Smoky Valley.