Nominations will be accepted September 1st - October 8th, 2025.
To apply for a scholarship to participate in the All-State Handbell Choir, please click the button below. Scholarship application coming soon!
At the 2026 Professional Development Conference, IMEA will host the 8th annual Indiana All-State Handbell Choir. Indiana is the first state in the United States to offer this type of experience for high school ringers. Assisting IMEA will be the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA), which is the national organization representing handbell choirs and individual handbell ringers, and Indiana's regional organization, Area 5. Many schools in our country have curricula that include handbells and hand chimes, and one focus area within the HMA is handbells in schools.
The format for submissions includes both a director nomination and student video audition.
Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) Area 5 is sponsoring a scholarship to participate in the All-State Handbell Choir. Two students who apply for the scholarship will be selected to have their registration fee paid by HMA Area 5. It is not exclusively need-based aid, but if a student has financial concerns, they should detail that information on the final page of the application. Students or their parents/guardians should complete the scholarship portion themselves; it will not be done by the nominating directors. Submitting an audition for the All-State Handbell Choir is separate from the scholarship application. The application link can be found below near the top of this webpage. The deadline to apply is the same for both the scholarship and the audition.
Read this article from the Summer/Fall 2017 edition of INfORM:
All State Handbell Choir
When
IMEA Professional Development Conference, January 15-17, 2026
Rehearsals January 15-16, 2026
Performance January 16, 2026 (TIME TBD)
Where
The Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Cost
$245.00 per student
Audition
All nominations and audition videos must be submitted by October 8th, 2025. Nominating directors should enter a link to a YouTube or Google Drive video of the student performing the audition exercises (see PDF sheet below). The YouTube video must be set to "Unlisted" or "Public" on YouTube and viewable to all people with the link on Google Drive. If the video is set to Private we will not be able to view it. Do not list an entire YouTube channel; it will not work on this portal. If that is the only means by which you can upload videos, email the YouTube channel link to [email protected].
You can find the audition exercises here:
All State Handbell Choir Audition Exercises.
Photography provided by: Bateman Photography
Frequently Asked Questions:
What does the cost include?
- Costs include one night of hotel (4 students to a room), transportation around Fort Wayne (where needed), meals Thursday afternoon/evening and Friday.
- The registration fee does not cover the student’s transportation to/from Fort Wayne, concert dress (all black), and any ancillary items the student might want such as a commemorative CD, etc.