It’s such an ingrained part of campus life that the melodies from the bells in the Burton Memorial Tower may go unnoticed: just background noise from noon to 12:30 when classes are in session.

“Most people just drive past in their car and they think, ‘oh, the tower is making noise.’ They don’t realize somebody is making music up here,” says Steven Ball, professor in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and the University’s seventh carillonneur.

The video above gives a tour of the Charles Baird Carillon, a massive musical machine made up of 43,000 pounds of bells that take up the tenth floor of the tower.

Click here to learn more about the Charles Baird Carillon, and stay tuned to the spring issue of LSA Magazine for a closer look at this campus treasure.

Video production by Natalie Condon and Rob Hess.