Our Ringers
Director - Liz Shields
Liz Shields brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to her role as the new Director of Bells of Joyful Sound. With a Master’s in Music Education and a decade of teaching experience spanning elementary music, upper school math, and bell choir, Liz has a broad educational background. She serves as Vice President for Elementary Music at UMEA and spent 15 years performing with the renowned Bells at Temple Square.
Outside of music, Liz loves to play games and eat spicy food. She is working hard on her goal to visit all 50 states. She enjoys life with her husband, four children, two grandchildren, and goldendoodle. Liz was raised in New Mexico, holds degrees from BYU and SUU, and currently resides in Herriman, Utah.
Our Ringers
Erin
Erin was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana, and moved to West Jordan with her family in 2001. She was home schooled through grade school, enrolled in Christian Liberty Academy’s distance education program, and graduated with her high school diploma in 2004. She went on to study music at SLCC, graduating with honors in 2008, just after joining the Bells of Joyful Sound in 2007. Besides playing handbells, she sings, plays guitar, and dabbles with various other instruments. She’s led several praise and worship bands and sung in various choirs, but ringing bells has been her priority and passion for several years. She also enjoys reading, watching movies, playing video games, and doing anything crafty, which all blend perfectly with her job at the County Library.
Krissy
Krissy grew up in Herriman, Utah, where she was introduced to handbells by her older sister. She started playing bells at Herriman High in 2011 during her junior year. After graduating in 2013, she began playing with the Bells of Joyful Sound. She enjoys reading, playing video games, fixing game consoles, and playing the bells. She works at Pacific Office Automation in West Valley City, ensuring printers and copiers continue working. Her mother’s side of the family is very musically gifted; her mother was a singer and a pianist. However, Krissy went beyond singing and attempting to play the piano to ringing handbells. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting to unwind.
Sara
Sara is a native to Utah, but has moved around and travelled extensively. She started her bell-playing journey at Davis High School, then took a number of years off before finding Bells of Joyful Sound, where her ringing skills really grew and have shined. Sara has a BS in Liberal Arts from University of Utah, and a masters in Accounting and Management from Walden University. She is a financial systems analyst for a global environmental consulting firm, called ERM, and she celebrates 20 years with them this year. Outside of bells (and chasing a toddler), she enjoys teaching ballroom dancing, and completing chalk street art murals (during the summer months).
Andrew
Andrew was born in Goa, India but after 5 months, he decided he didn’t like the food and promptly moved to Sandy, Utah. Okay, he was adopted and moved to Utah where he grew up. His Mom made him take piano lessons when he was in 3rd grade. He then took up percussion in 7th grade and started playing handbells after high school at Hilltop United Methodist Church. After several years, he became the director and is currently in that position today. He also played percussion at the University of Utah. In 2013, he joined the Bells of Joyful Sound and got to ring again. He works full time as a Paramedic and is involved with Boy Scouts of America. He likes to play softball. When not working, he likes to spend time in mountains, hiking and camping. He currently resides in Herriman, where he lives with his dog, Austin, a German shepherd that’s NOT spoiled at all.
Ann
Ann, who grew up in Sandy, Utah, started playing bells at Jordan High. She played with the Westminster Bell Choir in Logan for 3 years, and has played with the Bells of Joyful Sound since 2009. She loves to play the piano and sing. Ann teaches special needs students at an elementary school. Ann likes to make jewelry, read, crochet, and travel with her family. She is thrilled to have her nephew, Ryan, in the choir.
Holly
Holly is a passionate musician and a new ringer with the “Bells of Joyful Sound” group. She began her musical journey as a toddler, learning piano and organ from her grandmother, Florence Ruth Summers Kofford. Over the years, Holly explored various instruments, including violin, saxophone, bass clarinet, and primarily clarinet. Holly played handbells at Woods Cross High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies with a minor in music from Utah Valley University (UVU). Outside of music, she works in Human Resources and enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Brianna
Brianna grew up in Lacey, Washington. She began playing the piano at the age of 5, and has also played the viola and organ. Brianna has her own piano studio and has taught for over 10 years. She loves teaching students of all ages. In 2020, Brianna decided to go back to school and learn computer programming. She and her husband love to play pickleball and board games (games like Kingdom Builder, Exit: The Game, and Clank!). She began ringing bells with the Bells of Joyful Sound in 2014 and has been hooked ever since.
Laura
Laura grew up in Millcreek, Utah. Music has always been a part of her life since she began piano lessons at age 6. She also plays flute and piccolo and was a member of the University of Utah marching and pep bands. She also loves singing, dancing, and dabbling with various instruments. Being in a handbell choir can be checked off her bucket list and she has been playing handbells since 2011. She joined the Bells of Joyful Sound in 2019. Laura has a degree from Western Governors University in Special Education and uses it to teach kindergarten. Laura delights in anything crafty, listening to many genres of music, and hanging out with family watching movies. She also enjoys reading and trying new things.
Tom
Tom is an avid innovator, problem solver, and musician. He finds joy in using creativity to make the world a little better each day, whether that means inventing new card games for his 14 siblings to play, composing piano pieces to lift spirits on Sunday mornings, or developing fresh ideas to improve the healthcare system as a Healthcare Management Consultant. When he isn’t building Excel models for clients or sharing a new board game with his family, Tom enjoys brightening people’s days through music. He’s an experienced pianist and organist, and continues to grow as a cellist, violinist, and now as a bellist.
Miriam
Miriam comes from a family of musicians and has experience in playing piano, flute, and recorder, as well as singing. She got her first taste of playing handbells in high school, where she quickly determined that a handbell was the best kind of instrument. Miriam was in Bingham High School’s bell choir for her entire high school experience, and she missed it when she left for college. Now that she has graduated with her degree in software engineering, becoming the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, she is happy to once again be part of a bell choir and make beautiful music.
Joell
Joell grew up in Sandy, Utah. She started music in fourth grade where she learned to play the violin. She discovered handbells when her church started a bell choir. She played there for 20 years before joining Bells of Joyful Sound in 2020. Joell has been an Elementary School Educator since 1994 and is currently a technology specialist at two schools. Besides music and teaching, Joell enjoys traveling and often combines her love of travel with handbells. She has attended several handbell conferences, festivals, and seminars in places such as St. Louis, Missouri, Phoenix, Arizona, and Anaheim, California with Disneyland being her favorite place to play handbells! She also enjoys reading and snuggling with her cat.
Curtis
Curtis was born and raised in Utah, and has lived here all his life (aside from a two-year mission in Venezuela), currently residing in Lehi with his wife and five kids. He graduated from BYU with a degree in broadcast journalism and worked in TV news for a few years before moving to a career in software engineering. He enjoys making music, especially through singing and playing guitar. He got into handbells when his daughter Melia joined BOJS in 2023. He also enjoys movies, reading, and curating memory games on his concentration game website, Match The Memory.
Melia
Melia grew up in American Fork and Lehi, Utah. She started playing in the Willowcreek Handbell Choir in 9th grade, and started at BOJS right after that year. Still a little bit of a beginner, she hopes to play train more in the choir and play as long as possible. Melia does college-level classes and will graduate High School with an Associates degree, then move on to college for computer science and game development. In her eyes, videogames are an art form just like any other, and she wants to be a part of it. She also cares about politics and wants to make a difference in her community.
Ryan
Ryan had a childhood full of music, learning the piano, as well as participating in many different musicals on stage with their family. Middle school and high school came around, and they took choir classes, and participated in the musicals there as well. Ryan sung with their sister Melissa for two years in the choir at Hillcrest high. In 2024, their aunt Ann gave them the opportunity to join bells, and they gladly took it. Ryan enjoys playing video games, woodworking and leather working, and even a bit of parkour over the years. Ryan lives in Riverton with their three cats and a dog, and currently works in construction.
