Bell Choir Imparts Lesson on Disability

Conductor Mary Schallert walked to a podium, tapped her baton and signaled to the Activities for Retarded Children’s bell choir to begin playing.

The strains of “It’s a Small World,” “America the Beautiful” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” filled the Lankershim Elementary School auditorium as an audience of about 160 students in kindergarten through fifth grade sang along.

The developmentally disabled musicians visited Lankershim on Monday to celebrate Disabilities Awareness Month, a campaign aimed at educating children about physical and mental disabilities.

“We are trying to teach students that disabled people do have abilities and can contribute something to society,” said Diana L. Herz, a special education teacher who invited the bell choir to the school.

Although choir members do not know how to read music, that does not inhibit their ability to learn how to play bells, said Schallert, associate director of Activities for Retarded Children and the choir director.

During a performance, Schallert points to a letter written on a scroll and the musician sounds the bell that corresponds with the letter.

If Schallert points to a red letter C on the chart, the musician with the C-note bell sounds it.

The purpose of the group is to provide artistic expression and demonstrate that people with developmental disabilities have many abilities, Schallert said.

For group member Tom Sathre, his reason for being in the choir is more basic.

“It’s a chance to get out of the house,” he said.

The bell choir is just one of several activities offered by Activities for Retarded Children, a nonprofit organization based in North Hollywood.

Founded in 1969, the program provides therapeutic recreation and socialization for mentally retarded young people, who take part in tennis, swimming, softball, dance, bowling and computer training.

Through an independent-living component, clients learn cooking, gardening and housecleaning skills.