Howard Gould is the founder and director of the Community Handbell Ensemble. He attended Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. An instrumental (trumpet) major for one year, he decided that he would rather be 'doing music for fun than for a living' and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. He has been involved in music and musical programs including theatre, jazz band, barbershop quartet, and madrigal sigers throughout his life. Howard has published handbell arrangements with the Solo To Ensemble Program (STEP) and the ensemble has performed several of his unpublished original compositions and arrangements for handbells.

Howard also offers a semnar on basic handbell ringing. The ringers learn the basics of proper posture, grip, and stroke with emphasis on ringing together, and damping. Instruction in stopped techniques is included. Ringers are taught how to correctly martellato, mallet, thumb damp, pluck, and etc. Topics that will be discussed are what every director would like his/her ringer to know and what every ringer would like his/her director to know.