Area 5 Scholarships

Festivals, workshops, and other educational events are vital to the growth and continuation of the handbell community. Area 5 provides scholarship support for qualified attendees at Area 5 festivals, Area 5 directors workshops & seminars, and Handbell Musicians of America National events. Please see the awards policy for the application procedure and deadlines.

The application period has closed. Please come back next year!

View the Area 5 Scholarship Policy here.

Our Area 5 scholarship funds have been designated over time by the Area 5 Board of Directors to recognize and honor three individuals:

    • Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter, as a tribute to Ellen Jane’s early groundbreaking work with handbells.
    • Former Chair Barbara Kane, as a tribute to Barbara’s tireless support of Area 5 and handbells in general.
    • David R. Davidson, as a tribute to David’s immense contributions to Handbell Musicians of America, Area 5, and the art of handbell ringing, especially for encouraging young ringers as a way of strengthening and securing the future of handbells.

Do you want to support scholarship funds for handbell education and fellowship in Area 5 and beyond? We’d love to chat with you! Please reach out to [email protected] to learn how to make a contribution.

“The National Seminar event … was far beyond anything I’d experienced, so I intentionally signed up for classes, etc. that would push out my horizons: I took the advanced track, I auditioned for the All-Stars, and took classes about diverse topics such as technology and touring. I had a fantastic time, learned tons that I can share with my choir, and met ringers from all corners of the country. I’m charged up and ready to try new things. … I thank Area 5 for supporting me!”

Sally Klassen, scholarship recipient

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to be part of the conducting masterclass this year with support from Area 5. … I have gotten so much constructive feedback from Dr. Payn, as well as supportive comments from the ringers. Everyone was so supportive and encouraging, and it was amazing to see how much each of us had grown in four days. I thought I would never be a handbell conductor, as I have been enjoying ringing so much. I learned that I should never say never, as it is so rewarding to be on the other side of the table!”

Lois Leong, scholarship recipient