Possibilities for Further Research

As with any project, I found that there was a lot more information to take in than I could hope to cover in a project of this size. I hope that there will be more researchers who will carry on with this idea, expanding on what I have done or looking at the situation from a new perspective. Following are some ideas for what these researchers could look into:

The carillons of the University of the Michigan provide a great opportunity for research. My project deals with the Baird Carillon, but completely disregards the presence of the sixty-bell Lurie Carillon on the university's North Campus. This carillon was built much more recently than the Baird, and is not owned by the School of Music but by the School of Engineering. The two carillons are certainly very similar, but it might be possible to investigate the differences between them, including the question of ownership. Perhaps the technical differences between the bells and the towers and between the settings of North and Central Campus could also be taken into account.

Another interesting angle on the carillon would be to compare the carillon program to other programs within the School of Music. My professor, Mark Clague, says that the carillon program interacts with the community than any other program or department in the School of Music; it would be useful to investigate this claim and draw conclusions about how the nature of the carillon as an instrument causes carilloneurs to relate to the community differently than other musicians do. Another possibility would be an extended research project tracking Steven Ball's role as head graduate student instructor of carillon, and examining his actions over the course of the time that he holds the position. This would be most successful when coupled with research on past heads of carillon (Margo Hallstead and Joseph Daniels are two of them; a researcher could probably obtain a full list from Steven Ball easily) and their roles in influencing community-carillon interaction.

Anyone doing research on the carillon should be sure to contact Steven Ball, the current head graduate student instructor of carillon at the university. He is enthusiastic and eager to help researchers. Improving interaction between the carillon and the community is a high priority for him, and he was happy to discuss his ideas with me. You can check out his website at www.stevenball.com. His contact information is below:

Phone: (734) 847-3627

Email: info@stevenball.com

There is also great potential for research on the chime. A particularly interesting area to investigate might be the relationship between the chime and the shops. A researcher might interview shop owners about the chime, observe how chime visitors behaved in the rest of the shopping center, and possibly even look at commercial records before and after the construction of the chime to find any changes in profitability in the shops. Note that financial records may be off limits to researchers - I did not study this aspect of the chime and do not know Kerrytown Shops policy on this.

Another area for research on the chime would be its history. My own study only touches briefly on the history of the chime, focusing more on its sociological and musicological aspects. So far, the most comprehensive history of the Kerrytown Chime in existence is a double-sided page available at the chime. Having talked to Joe O'Neal, whose construction company built the Kerrytown Shops and installed the chime, I know that there is more of a story to be told than fits on that paper. A particularly worthwhile research project would be to compile all the historical information available on the chime into a historical study that followed the instrument's existence in depth.

This idea might also be applicable to the carillons. No comprehensive written history exists for either carillon. The carillons, particularly the Baird, are considerably older than the chime, so writing their history would involve a lot more work, but there is a need in that area. If a researcher were to tackle this project, I would advise him or her to seek out a librarian from the Bentley Historical Library who could direct him or her to all the appropriate resources. However, the chime presents a special opportunity because almost all the people who conceptualized and built it are still available for comment.

An indispensable resource in any research on the chime is the O'Neal family. I interviewed Heather O'Neal, who works as Chime Master at the Kerrytown Bell, and I also talked to Joe O'Neal, who built them. Joe in particular would be a good resource for a historical investigation due to his involvement from the beginning. Although I did not talk to her, Karen O'Neal would be an invaluable resource for a historical study. She was one of the chime's earliest proponents, and has remained involved with it ever since its very beginnings. For a business-related investigation, the person to talk to is Karen Farmer, the manager of the Kerrytown Shops. Contact information for all concerned is shown below: