Two Minutes

The woman who makes the bells of Iowa State ring

Tin-Shi Tam may have the most unique job on campus. Each weekday around 11:30 a.m., the university carilloneur climbs the 79 steps of the narrow spiral staircase of the ISU campanile. At the top, in a small room under the bell chamber, she sits down at the carillon console and turns on the live webcast. Then, 10 minutes before noon, Tam makes the bells of Iowa State sing across campus ... and the world.

Love at first sound. The Hong Kong, native hadn't heard a carillon until graduate studies in organ performance and church music took her to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1991. At her first carillon concert, she was hooked.

"It was marvelous," Tam said. "I started to hear the bell sound and I thought, 'This is a carillon? It's music. It's not just bells ringing.'"

Destiny calls. Soon, Tam was learning to play carillon, and three years later, she became Iowa State's carilloneur. In her 15th year at ISU, Tam still loves her job. Half of her position is dedicated to the carillon -- performances, teaching, and organizing festivals. She spends the rest of her time teaching an online music appreciation class to non-music majors.

MMMBop. The bulk of her workload, however, revolves around the mid-day carillon concerts. Tam shakes things up a bit each Friday, playing special requests such as "MMMBop" or "Sweet Home Alabama."

-- Paula Van Brocklin