My friend Mark, whom I’ve know since third grade, taught me to love Broadway musicals. We spent hours in high school listening to and singing along with albums from famous Broadway shows like Hello Dolly, Carousel, Oklahoma , and South Pacific – and more obscure shows like A Little Night Music and Dear World.

One of my all-time favorite songs from a Broadway musical comes from Guys and Dolls. “If I Were a Bell ” is such a joyful song about that first rush of being in love.

Well, if I were a bell, I’d be a singing bowl, which resonates in such a curious and enticing way that it calls everyone who hears it to stop and listen. The sound of a singing bowl produces a centering effect in almost everyone. Though it is bowl shaped, a singing bowl is a type of standing bell that has been used throughout Asia for personal wellness, meditation, and religious practice.

I use the singing bowl in almost every gathering where I need to mark the passage of time or signal a change in activity. It works with people of all ages – from two years old to eighty. I ask people to raise their hands when they can no longer hear the sound of the bowl. Depending on the way the bowl is struck, the ringing tone can last for twenty seconds or longer.

The tones of singing bowls are dependent on the diameter of the bowl. Smaller bowls, though less expensive, make higher-pitched sounds which to me are not as alluring as the sounds that emanate from the larger bowls. If you’d like to see and hear different sizes of singing bowls, Emile de Leon of Temple Sounds is featured on a U Tube video. Type in Gong and Tibetan Singing Bowl Meditation.

To find a singing bowl you like, it is best to test them out in person. But I have not heard a singing bowl that was without charms of its own. You can mail-order a singing bowl from the following places:

House of Musical Traditions, now in Tacoma Park , MD , has specialized in instruments from the U.S. and around the world since 1972. They have a blog -musicaltradtions.blogspot.com - and you can find them on My Space under houseofmusicaltradtions.

Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world’s first and largest fair trade organizations. They work with artisans in more than 30 countries in Africa , Asia and Latin America to offer jewelry, home décor items, gifts, and some musical instruments. Their web site lists locations of stores all over the United States and Canada .

Lark in the Morning has been selling international musical instruments since 1974. Stores in San Francisco , Seattle , WA , and Medocino, CA. On the website, you can take a virtual tour of the stores.