by Author Name
Mitchell Eithun is a church musician, composer, and mathematician. He has over 80 published pieces of handbell music and has received commissions from community and church handbell ensembles. Mitchell is interested in developing innovative handbell rehearsal techniques and writing about the history of church music. Currently Mitchell is the handbell editor for Beckenhorst Press, and the staff carillonneur at Duke University Chapel. He is also the founding director of Bell Durham, a community handbell ensemble in Durham, North Carolina. Mitchell recently completed a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology and the Arts from Duke Divinity School. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science and a minor in music from Ripon College and a Master of Science in computational mathematics from Michigan State University. He is an associate member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and a seminar instructor for Handbell Musicians of America. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new food and traveling to new places.
When I was a high school math teacher in 2021, just about every day, students would repeat silly phrases they heard on social media. Even though I was less than a decade older than my students, I had no idea what they were talking about. I would often try to do my own research to decode their vernacular, but as one student informed me, “Mr. Eithun, if you have to Google it, you’ll never understand it.”
This is what led me to join TikTok. While I grew up in the Snapchat and Instagram generation, these apps never really appealed to me. As a millennial, I stuck to Facebook, the platform for “old people.” In the United States, TikTok is mired in political controversy, but its vast influence is impossible to ignore. From 2022 to 2025, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world, and over half of U.S. adults have posted on TikTok. After joining TikTok, I saw how influential it is in shaping cultural trends and how easily anyone could upload quirky videos that millions of people would watch.
TikTok is a reel-based app, meaning that users scroll through short-form, video-based content. Content on TikTok varies widely, from dance tutorials to life advice to fitness routines. The TikTok algorithm quickly learns about your personal interests and delivers videos that keep you glued to the app. I found myself watching a lot of pop music covers played on quirky instruments and performed very well on TikTok. In June 2024, my friend Katelyn McDonald played the pop song “Hot to Go” on the 10-bell tower chime at Duke Memorial UMC in Durham, North Carolina. A video of the performance, taken by a bystander, garnered over 8 million views on TikTok.
On a whim, I uploaded a short clip to TikTok of my community handbell ensemble, Bell Durham, playing “Hot to Go” in September 2024. When I woke up on Sunday morning, almost 100,000 people had watched the video, and hundreds of users had left comments about their experiences with handbells. I was hooked. How else could we generate interest in handbells on TikTok?
Handbell Content on TikTok
Following our initial success, I gathered with a group of handbell musicians one Saturday each month for a few hours to record content for TikTok. We recorded dozens of videos during each session, and I posted them slowly over the course of the month.
What follows are types of videos we produced, with varying levels of success on the platform.
Handbell in-jokes: These videos relied on jokes within the handbell community, such as a constant desire for more bells or more handbell musicians. Following a trend on TikTok, we created a video called “Choose Your Character” with music from the video game Super Smash Bros. that plays with stereotypes about different types of handbell musicians. These videos relied on niche humor from the handbell community and did not receive a high number of views.
Following trends: The TikTok app has tools for content creators to see what types of videos are currently trending on the platform. Taking inspiration from videos popular at the moment, we created videos saying things like, “Hey besties! Brat summer is over, and it’s time to enter your handbell era,” and “I hope they play ‘Hot to Go’!” On TikTok and other reel-based apps, users can reuse and remix the audio from past videos, called “sounds.” We created several videos based on popular sounds, such as a voice saying, “You sure about that?” paired with the words “Handbells are only for Christmas.” Videos engaging directly with current trends performed better than insider handbell content.
Reenacting TV scenes: We made a few attempts at filming parodies of scenes from popular TV shows, including New Girl and The Big Bang Theory. In an episode of The Big Bang Theory called “The Santa Simulation,” characters play “Jingle Bells” on handbells to solve a puzzle in a role-playing game. Our parody of this scene has received over 164,000 views on TikTok.
Covering pop songs: By far, our most popular videos have been handbell versions of pop songs trending on the app. Our videos of “Symphony” by Clean Bandit, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, and “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan have all garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Our most popular video is a handbell version of the main riff from “360” by Charli XCX. The pop star commented on our video, and it received over 1.3 million views over the course of a few days.
A number of other accounts on TikTok have also created successful handbell-related content. Fabiany (@lindesfabi), a handbell musician from Brazil, has several handbell solo videos with millions of views. The Bellringers (@debellringers) from Germany have a number of short handbell covers, including a video of “Frère Jacques,” which may be the most popular handbell-related video on the internet, with over 11.4 million views. Recently, Richlen (@richlen) has been documenting his adventures learning to play handbells at Hollywood United Methodist Church in Hollywood, California.
TikTok filming day.
Learning from the Comments
As fun as it is to share our ensemble and handbell ringing with an internet audience, the comments on handbell videos may provide valuable feedback for the handbell community. Here are some things we have learned about the public perception of handbells.
- The show New Girl is the primary cultural touchpoint for handbells. Just about every video leads to comments along the lines of “This is so Winston Bishop coded” or “We need Winnie the Brat NOW.” These are references to the season one episode of New Girl called “Bells,” which features Jess leading a handbell quartet for troubled youth called “Ensembell.”
- Handbell gloves are a known entity. Many commenters have noted the presence or absence of gloves. Examples include “WHERE ARE YOUR GLOVES!? We weren’t allowed to touch the bells without them” and “Oh, they really do wear gloves!” After we noticed this trend, we started making more videos of us playing without gloves because it led to more views.
- People are curious about handbells. While handbells still have not achieved the status of a mainstream instrument, many commenters are very interested in learning more about them. While internet commenters are known for being rude, people often leave positive comments such as “Ok, but why is this actually so…good?” and “The best part is how EVERYONE is concentrating.” One of my favorite comments of all time is, “How does one get into synchronized bell ringing?” Even simple videos of pop music covers have generated interest in the handbell idiom.
While the handbell world works to actively combat a decline in handbell ringing in North America, we might find hope in an unlikely place: TikTok comment sections. Social media continues to hold the potential to influence our lives in both profoundly positive and negative ways, but I see our TikTok presence as a positive development that allows us to connect with new audiences. Many people are curious about handbells and even want to play them. I take this as an opportunity to continue to expand the reach of our instrument, demonstrating that it can be an activity for everyone, incorporating all ages of people and all genres of music. I invite you to come join the fun! What will be the subject of your first handbell TikTok?
Accounts to Follow on TikTok
Fabiany (@lindesfabi), 110.6k followers
Bellringers (@debellringers), 48.3k followers
Richlen (@richlen), 39.1k followers
Texas Girls’ Choir (@texasgirlschoir), 18.4k followers
The Bing Bongs (@the.bing.bongs), 4.1k followers
Bell Durham (@bell.durham), 3.4k followers
彩鐘Handbell Ensemble (@akane_handbellensemble), 2.1k followers
Clifton Hand-Bell Ringers (@yorkshirehandbells), 2k followers
Greg Urban (@gregurbanhandbells), 1.7k followers
Zenith (@zenithhandbell), 1.5k followers
Back Bay Ringers (@backbayringers), 129 followers
Handbells Brasil (@handbellsbrasil), 44 followers
When I was a high school math teacher in 2021, just about every day, students would repeat silly phrases they heard on social media. Even though I was less than a decade older than my students, I had no idea what they were talking about. I would often try to do my own research to decode their vernacular, but as one student informed me, “Mr. Eithun, if you have to Google it, you’ll never understand it.”
This is what led me to join TikTok. While I grew up in the Snapchat and Instagram generation, these apps never really appealed to me. As a millennial, I stuck to Facebook, the platform for “old people.” In the United States, TikTok is mired in political controversy, but its vast influence is impossible to ignore. From 2022 to 2025, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world, and over half of U.S. adults have posted on TikTok. After joining TikTok, I saw how influential it is in shaping cultural trends and how easily anyone could upload quirky videos that millions of people would watch.
TikTok is a reel-based app, meaning that users scroll through short-form, video-based content. Content on TikTok varies widely, from dance tutorials to life advice to fitness routines. The TikTok algorithm quickly learns about your personal interests and delivers videos that keep you glued to the app. I found myself watching a lot of pop music covers played on quirky instruments and performed very well on TikTok. In June 2024, my friend Katelyn McDonald played the pop song “Hot to Go” on the 10-bell tower chime at Duke Memorial UMC in Durham, North Carolina. A video of the performance, taken by a bystander, garnered over 8 million views on TikTok.
On a whim, I uploaded a short clip to TikTok of my community handbell ensemble, Bell Durham, playing “Hot to Go” in September 2024. When I woke up on Sunday morning, almost 100,000 people had watched the video, and hundreds of users had left comments about their experiences with handbells. I was hooked. How else could we generate interest in handbells on TikTok?
Handbell Content on TikTok
Following our initial success, I gathered with a group of handbell musicians one Saturday each month for a few hours to record content for TikTok. We recorded dozens of videos during each session, and I posted them slowly over the course of the month.
What follows are types of videos we produced, with varying levels of success on the platform.
Handbell in-jokes: These videos relied on jokes within the handbell community, such as a constant desire for more bells or more handbell musicians. Following a trend on TikTok, we created a video called “Choose Your Character” with music from the video game Super Smash Bros. that plays with stereotypes about different types of handbell musicians. These videos relied on niche humor from the handbell community and did not receive a high number of views.
Following trends: The TikTok app has tools for content creators to see what types of videos are currently trending on the platform. Taking inspiration from videos popular at the moment, we created videos saying things like, “Hey besties! Brat summer is over, and it’s time to enter your handbell era,” and “I hope they play ‘Hot to Go’!” On TikTok and other reel-based apps, users can reuse and remix the audio from past videos, called “sounds.” We created several videos based on popular sounds, such as a voice saying, “You sure about that?” paired with the words “Handbells are only for Christmas.” Videos engaging directly with current trends performed better than insider handbell content.
Reenacting TV scenes: We made a few attempts at filming parodies of scenes from popular TV shows, including New Girl and The Big Bang Theory. In an episode of The Big Bang Theory called “The Santa Simulation,” characters play “Jingle Bells” on handbells to solve a puzzle in a role-playing game. Our parody of this scene has received over 164,000 views on TikTok.
Covering pop songs: By far, our most popular videos have been handbell versions of pop songs trending on the app. Our videos of “Symphony” by Clean Bandit, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, and “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan have all garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Our most popular video is a handbell version of the main riff from “360” by Charli XCX. The pop star commented on our video, and it received over 1.3 million views over the course of a few days.
A number of other accounts on TikTok have also created successful handbell-related content. Fabiany (@lindesfabi), a handbell musician from Brazil, has several handbell solo videos with millions of views. The Bellringers (@debellringers) from Germany have a number of short handbell covers, including a video of “Frère Jacques,” which may be the most popular handbell-related video on the internet, with over 11.4 million views. Recently, Richlen (@richlen) has been documenting his adventures learning to play handbells at Hollywood United Methodist Church in Hollywood, California.
TikTok filming day.
Learning from the Comments
As fun as it is to share our ensemble and handbell ringing with an internet audience, the comments on handbell videos may provide valuable feedback for the handbell community. Here are some things we have learned about the public perception of handbells.
- The show New Girl is the primary cultural touchpoint for handbells. Just about every video leads to comments along the lines of “This is so Winston Bishop coded” or “We need Winnie the Brat NOW.” These are references to the season one episode of New Girl called “Bells,” which features Jess leading a handbell quartet for troubled youth called “Ensembell.”
- Handbell gloves are a known entity. Many commenters have noted the presence or absence of gloves. Examples include “WHERE ARE YOUR GLOVES!? We weren’t allowed to touch the bells without them” and “Oh, they really do wear gloves!” After we noticed this trend, we started making more videos of us playing without gloves because it led to more views.
- People are curious about handbells. While handbells still have not achieved the status of a mainstream instrument, many commenters are very interested in learning more about them. While internet commenters are known for being rude, people often leave positive comments such as “Ok, but why is this actually so…good?” and “The best part is how EVERYONE is concentrating.” One of my favorite comments of all time is, “How does one get into synchronized bell ringing?” Even simple videos of pop music covers have generated interest in the handbell idiom.
While the handbell world works to actively combat a decline in handbell ringing in North America, we might find hope in an unlikely place: TikTok comment sections. Social media continues to hold the potential to influence our lives in both profoundly positive and negative ways, but I see our TikTok presence as a positive development that allows us to connect with new audiences. Many people are curious about handbells and even want to play them. I take this as an opportunity to continue to expand the reach of our instrument, demonstrating that it can be an activity for everyone, incorporating all ages of people and all genres of music. I invite you to come join the fun! What will be the subject of your first handbell TikTok?
Accounts to Follow on TikTok
Fabiany (@lindesfabi), 110.6k followers
Bellringers (@debellringers), 48.3k followers
Richlen (@richlen), 39.1k followers
Texas Girls’ Choir (@texasgirlschoir), 18.4k followers
The Bing Bongs (@the.bing.bongs), 4.1k followers
Bell Durham (@bell.durham), 3.4k followers
彩鐘Handbell Ensemble (@akane_handbellensemble), 2.1k followers
Clifton Hand-Bell Ringers (@yorkshirehandbells), 2k followers
Greg Urban (@gregurbanhandbells), 1.7k followers
Zenith (@zenithhandbell), 1.5k followers
Back Bay Ringers (@backbayringers), 129 followers
Handbells Brasil (@handbellsbrasil), 44 followers
Mitchell Eithun is a church musician, composer, and mathematician. He has over 80 published pieces of handbell music and has received commissions from community and church handbell ensembles. Mitchell is interested in developing innovative handbell rehearsal techniques and writing about the history of church music. Currently Mitchell is the handbell editor for Beckenhorst Press, and the staff carillonneur at Duke University Chapel. He is also the founding director of Bell Durham, a community handbell ensemble in Durham, North Carolina. Mitchell recently completed a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology and the Arts from Duke Divinity School. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and computer science and a minor in music from Ripon College and a Master of Science in computational mathematics from Michigan State University. He is an associate member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America and a seminar instructor for Handbell Musicians of America. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new food and traveling to new places.
