EAST LANSING, Mich. — When the clock strickes noon at Beaumont Tower on Wednesdays, people like Beth Muelder know it's almost time for the sweet sound of the bells from the carillon.
“On Wednesdays, the carillonist plays at noon time,” Muelder said. “Its puts me in an uplifted mood.”
Inside the tower, Jonathan Lehrer climbs the 74 steps to the top, takes his place between the clock faces and knows he's home.
“I was about 18 when I discovered the carillon going off to university, and just kind of fell in love with it,” Lehrer said.
Lehrer never thought he could do what he loves as a job.
“I was like, really, I can get paid to like, go play, and like, share music with people," Lehrer said. "That's amazing.”
But once he realized he could, there was no going back.
“That sort of took me to Belgium to study the instrument more," Lehrer said. “I was playing instruments from the 17th century, and the same bells that were heard hundreds and hundreds of years ago. There have been huge towers, 500 steps to get up just to the bell level.”
Twenty-two years later, he finds himself at Michigan State University at the newest carillonist.
“It's a medium sized instrument, it's very versatile, really nice tone on the bells. I liked the opportunity to serve a large campus community,” Lehrer said.
Every Wednesday, he plays a concert at noon, shine or snow.
“I haven't done a Michigan winter before, so I'm going to be just as surprised as anyone," Lehrer said. "As long as the bells aren't frozen, we play.”
When he's not playing, he's teaching the next generation of carillonists.
“It takes me back to when I was, you know, a student as well, and all of that sort of like newness and adventure and sense of wonder," Lehrer said. "I've been doing this for 22 years, and I've taken it a lot of information. So it's a chance to access and like, bring that out in a more explicit way than I might just when I'm playing.”
When he's not teaching, he has another job he says goes hand in hand with being a musician.
“I also work in tech. I'm a data scientist," Lehrer said. “I see a lot of connections. Maybe not data to music, but certainly math to music and ratios and intervals and all of that.”
But no matter what, he always finds his way back to the carillon.
“It's an amazing resource to have on a campus, and it should be enjoyed as widely as we can,” Lehrer said.
And people like Muedler are always listening.
“It makes me feel uplifted,” Muedler said.
“Yeah, the audience is a big part of why I like the instrument," Lehrer said.
And when the clock strikes 12:30 p.m., they are already looking forward to the next Wednesday the bells toll noon.
“I don't know how to describe it, but just the ringing is beautiful,” Muedler said.
Right now, Lehrer plays the carillon once a week. One of his goals during his time at MSU is to make that concert more frequent throughout the week.
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