Students know that a familiar bell tower perches itself up on a hill, overlooking the BYU campus. What students don't know is what is kept inside and that somebody goes up the bell tower every day to play it.
Students might recognize the familiar sound of the bells that play every hour on the BYU campus. But those bells come from a special instrument inside the tower called a carillon. Not only that, but the university pays students to go inside and play every day.
“So playing this note vs. this note vs. this note is a totally different experience,” Ben Tischner, a BYU organ performance major, said.
“Nobody really knows you're up there. Most people think it’s just a computer going,” Samuel Call, also a BYU organ performance major, said.
At 12 o'clock on the dot each day, the bells ring out as students such as Tischner roll up their sleeves to play. From classical music to today's top hits, students might just find themselves humming to a familiar melody such as the Harry Potter theme song.
Each key connects to a specific bell up above. A lot of effort is required for the lower keys.
Tischner loves his job and he's eager to share why he loves it so much. He said that anyone is welcome to swing by for a tour.