Iowa Handbell Musicians of America Committee

The Iowa Chapter of the national Handbell Musicians of America is part of Area 8 (which consists of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska). Area 8 has a set of officers, and each state with the area has a set of officers. The Iowa officers for 2010-2011 are listed below. Please contact any of us if we can assist with your handbell efforts.

Chair:    Patrick Gagnon (First Congregational Church, Eldora, Iowa) 211 South Victor, P.O. Box 314, Hubbard, IA 50122, 641-864-3298, Patrick's Email

 Treasurer:    Mary Lee Parks, (First United Methodist Church, Marion, Iowa) 2130 26th St., Marion, IA 52302, 319-377-8632, Mary Lee's Email

Secretary:    Laurie Stock, (Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Marion, IA) 2135 Timber Creek Dr, Marion, IA 52302, 319-373-7657, Laurie's Email  

Chimes Chair:    Aaron Hansen, (First United Methodist Church, Cedar Falls, IA), 104 E. 9th St, Apt 1-E, Cedar Falls, IA 50613, 319-277-8741, Aaron's Email 

Eastern Iowa Representative:    Terri Hodge (St Joseph Catholic Church, Marion, IA), 3465 26th Ave, Marion, IA 52302, 319-377-2615, Terri's Email 

Western Iowa Representative:    Open

Historian:  Christina "Tina" Elwood Gehrke (St John's Lutheran Church in Ely, IA), 1592 Bramblewood Drive NE, Solon, IA 52333, Tina's Email
 

Past Chair:    Kathryn Jaeger (Chancy Lutheran Church, Clinton, IA) 1720 North 3rd Street, Clinton, Iowa 52732, 563-242-0416, Kathryn's Email 

Committee Biographies

Patrick Gagnon, Chair.  New to the Midwest, Patrick and his wife Jodi lived and worked in the greater Boston area for 15 years where he was most recently Chair of AGEHR Area I, and Chair of the 2009 Area I Festival/Conference at the University of Maine at Orono.  He is Choral Director at South Hardin High School, is K-5 music specialist for the South Hardin Community Schools, and is Director of Music at First Congregational Church UCC in Eldora, Iowa. 

While in Boston, in addition to his work with AGEHR, he was a founding ringer and Associate Director of Back Bay Ringers, and a member of the Merrimack Valley Ringers, both auditioned community choirs.  In Area I, he served as the Massachusetts state chair, and as chair both for the Area I Adult Ringer Weekend, and for three annual Directors' Seminars. 

Patrick taught classes at the 2010 Area 8 Festival/Conference, the 2011 Iowa Youth Handbell Festival, and will be the clinician for the 2011 Iowa Spring Ringers' Event in Red Oak.

Mary Lee Parks, Treasurer.  Mary Lee has been directing handbell choirs at Marion First United Methodist since December of 1984 when the church received its first 3 octaves of Schulmerich handbells. Marion FUMC now has a 5 octave set of Schulmerich handbells plus doubles of D#6 up through D#7; a 3 octave set of Schulmerich handbells; as well as a 3 octave set of Suzuki chimes, and a 5½ octave set of Malmark chimes.

Her choirs "praise the Lord" once a month in church - including small groups during the summer - and ring a Christmas concert and a spring concert. This past Christmas a small ensemble also rang "real handbells" at Village Ridge, an assisted living community, and then enjoyed some audience participation with the Krystal Bells (colored bells)! The "oldest" church choir has had the honor of ringing with the Cedar Rapids Symphony several times on their Holiday Pops Concert.

Mary Lee graduated from UNI with a major in math and a minor in music. She is the Service Manager for Future Systems, a payroll processing company, in Cedar Rapids. When not ringing, Mary Lee enjoys spending time with her three grown children, but actually enjoys spending more time with her three grandchildren!

Laurie Stock, Secretary - Laurie is the handbell director at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Marion where she has an adult and a youth choir. She is also the keyboardist in the praise band. Laurie graduated from UNI with a degree in elementary education, music and Spanish and has her Masters of Education in Gifted Education from the University of Texas Pan American. She lives in Marion with her husband, Kent, and two daughters.

Aaron Hansen, Chimes Chair - Aaron Hansen, Chimes Chair-Aaron Hansen currently teaches 5-6 general music, chorus, band, percussion ensemble, and recorder ensemble in the Waverly-Shell Rock School District.  Aaron directs two adult choirs, Les Cloches d’Or and Chapel Ringers, and rings in Tower Bells at First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, IA.  

As a handbell soloist, Aaron has performed across the country and was a featured soloist with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra in 1999 and 2002.  Aaron has recorded two holiday handbell CDs, Holidays in Bronze and Winter Moon.  Aaron has attended and conducted workshops throughout the United States and presented a chime workshop at the IMEA Convention in Ames.

Christina "Tina" Elwood Gehrke, Historian - Tina is currently Director of English Handbell Choir at St John's Lutheran Church in Ely, Iowa.  There she directs their handbell choir, St John's Ringers since 2007.  St John's Ringers have 2 octaves ofSchulmerich handbells. 

Tina is a graduate of Wartburg College where she was involved with the College Choir in Waverly, Iowa.  She works at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids and volunteers for the Iowa Valley Resource and Conservation Board (www.ivrcd.org) where she is President. In her spare time, Tina plays the trumpet and french horn with her sons.  Tina resides in rural Solon with her two sons and husband, Brad.

Terri Hodge, Eastern Iowa Representative.  Terri is an all-around church musician!! Every Sunday of the month she is somewhere playing either flute or bells! Terri studied music at Coe College. She has been playing bells since 1990. She is the current bell choir director at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marion and at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids.

Terri also subs in numerous bell choirs in the Cedar Rapids/ Marion area and is currently a long term sub at St. Mark's Center for Faith and Life Lutheran Church in northeast Cedar Rapids. Terri is currently trying to start a chime choir at All Saints Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. When Terri is not ringing bells, she maintains a private studio where she teaches flute. She is also a member of a chamber group, the Marion Chamber Trio (flute, harp and cello) that plays for weddings and other functions.

Kathryn Jaeger, Past Chair - Kathryn is the Youth Handbell Director at Chancy Lutheran Church in Clinton, Iowa. She enjoys sharing her love of handbells with her “kids” at church and enjoys taking them to workshops and conferences.

Kathryn started off as a ringer in high school in Marion, Iowa and moved to Clinton and eventually became a director. She works full-time as a transcriptionist at a local medical clinic. Kathryn is also a Girl Scout Leader and volunteers her time in the community. She lives in Clinton with Jason, her husband and 3 children.