MADELINE WOODLAND
November 9, 1929 – February 4, 2003

A native of New Orleans and resident of Baton Rouge, Madeline Woodland lived much of her adult life with a love for handbells – ringing, directing and teaching others about them. In 1972, Madeline and her husband, the Rev Phil Woodland, were appointed to serve the Slidell United Methodist Church who owned a 2 octave set of handbells and were in need of a director. With a bachelor degree in music from LSU, a love of music and being a fearless song leader in many a group, the Slidell church saw fit to ask her to please do this bell thing. So she set to work and before moving to Baton Rouge 9 years later had formed Jr. high and Sr. high youth choirs, an adult choir, and added 3 more octaves to have a full 5 octave set.

Her involvement in handbells included attending a handbell director’s workshop in Kentucky where she really began to develop her expertise in bells. She took her choirs to a bell festival in St. Augustine, Florida, and on tour with the Shalom Singers to Colorado and Philadelphia. During the seventies Madeline became involved in the Area 6 chapter of the American Guild of English hand bell ringers, serving her turn as the area chairperson. She took some courses in music composition and tried her hand at arranging music for her bells choirs

When she and her husband were appointed to University United Methodist church in Baton Rouge in 1980, her reputation as a leader, teacher director and expert in handbells preceded her. Through a generous donation from a church family, the church received all they needed to start a bell program. While in Baton Rouge, Madeline directed several choirs at University Church including a college bell choir, and she later directed a choir at St. John’s United Methodist Church. She worked with others to organize the annual Spring Ring in the Baton Rouge Area and conducted bell workshops anywhere she was invited.