Carillons - Schools

Schools

Carillon schools include the Netherlands Carillon School and the first international school, the Royal Carillon School "Jef Denyn" in Mechelen, Belgium.

In North America, one can study the carillon at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (which is home to two of only twenty-three grand carillons in the world), the University of Florida, the University of Denver's Lamont School of Music, Missouri State University, and Berea College, Berea, KY, all which offer complete courses of study. One can also take private lessons at many carillon locations, and there are universities that offer limited credit for carillon performance, such as Clemson University, University of Kansas, Iowa State University, and Marquette University.

The George Cadbury Carillon School was opened in 2006 and is the only carillon school in the United Kingdom.

Another international carillon school, the Scandinavian Carillon School in Løgumkloster, Denmark, was established back in 1979. It serves mainly Scandinavians, but does also cooperate with other carillon schools at university level with student exchange.

A number of universities and undergraduate institutions also make use of carillons as part of their tradition. SUNY Geneseo’s carillon sounds traditional clock bell tones every hour, along with various songs, everything from classical to pop, being played throughout the day. Princeton University houses a carillon of 67 bells which can be heard every Sunday afternoon and most Wednesday evenings with performances from Robin Austin, his students, and guest artists. Smith College in Northampton Massachusetts completed its carillon of 48 bells in 2009, ninety years after the first bells were hung in 1919. Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont also has a 48 bell carillon, which is located in the steeple of the college's Mead Memorial Chapel.

Good illustrations of the tradition includes Denny Chimes at the University of Alabama, Sather Tower at Cal Berkeley, and the Rockefeller Carillon at the University of Chicago — the latter of which is the largest single musical instrument in the world. The newest addition to the list is the Bell Tower at the University of South Alabama which has a web cam of current construction.