MUSIC CLASSES TO LET STUDENTS RING 'N' ROLL; PROGRAM SPURS QUICK LEARNING WITH NOTE LESSONS IN HAND BELLS.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry Daily News Staff Writer

Students in an American music program scheduled for next month will be listening for the sound of the bell - and it had better be on key.

The weeklong program will teach singing, dancing, history and bell ringing to students in first through eighth grades.

Bells were chosen for the program because of their simplicity, said Krista Muhe, who co-directs the program with her mother, Carol Ames.

``It's an easy instrument for groups,'' Muhe said. ``Every note you can find in a piano you can find in a bell.''

Young children can learn to ring a bell without having to worry about the precision needed in more advanced instruments, said Susanna Judd-Newkirk, who will be teaching the hand bell segment.

``You don't have to tune it,'' Judd-Newkirk said. ``You don't have to worry about string tension.''

Judd-Newkirk is the director of hand bells at United Methodist Church of Westlake and leads four bell-ringing church groups of about 45 people. Hand bells are ``more and more becoming a part of music curriculum in the schools,'' she said.

Students can play the instruments ``with success almost right away,'' she said. ``It's just a really, really good way to learn to read music.''

The music program is sponsored by the church, but features a non-religious arts instruction, Muhe said. Students will be briefed on the basics of note-reading, rhythm and timing, she said.

``The ultimate goal is to give them an appreciation for music and the performing arts,'' Muhe said.

Many schools, public schools especially, have made cutbacks on such instruction, she said.

``We're kind of filling in a gap,'' Muhe said.

The theme of this year's program, ``American Kaleidoscope,'' features American music from colonial times through rock 'n' roll, she said. Students will perform Broadway show tunes, big band music and folk favorites, she said. The students also will receive a crash course in American music, from styles to composers, she said.

The participants will demonstrate what they learned during the week at a performance on Friday evening. The improvements from Monday to Friday are dramatic, Muhe said.

Just 10 to 12 spots remain open in all age categories for the 90-member class. The fee for the program is $85, and siblings receive a $5 discount. The fee includes a Pizzaz T-shirt.

The program runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 10-13, and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 14, with a 7 p.m. performance the last day. For information, call [phone] or [phone].