NeariNg the eNd(s) - Area III

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Help! I Need More Hands! by Carol Smiley, Metro DC Chair cjs1955@cox.net How many times have we said that I may have some help for you: I started my bell career in 1998 with three octaves of bells and plenty of ringers, so I had two choirs (a 3-octave and a 2-octave). By the next year, I had lost several ringers, and was back to a single choir, happily ringing all three octaves. Several years ago, I took on a second choir at a church that owned five octaves of bells, but only had five ringers. With me ringing (and the organist helping), we managed to ring two octaves. They rang two-octave pieces well, but quickly became bored with music that was mostly Levels 1 and 2. Since they owned five octaves and had had more ringers in earlier years, the file drawers were full of 3-5-octave music. But since this is a smaller church with an older congregation (many of whom don’t drive at night), adding ringers to our evening rehearsals was not feasible. What to do dc The first thing was to teach ringers the Shelley and four-inhand techniques, allowing treble ringers to cover the upper end of the third octave. This will take some time as you educate the ringers, but the results are worth it. (By the way, the younger the ringers are, the faster they “get it!”) But what about those bass notes My ringers couldn’t Shelley or four-in-hand the larger bells, so I had to think outside the box. Once, I physically moved my G4–E5 ringers down the table to ring a melody section. (They griped and said that they couldn’t do it, but it turned out very well!) Another time, the G4/A4 ringer malleted the melody, covering C4 to A4. This all requires score study. Are there notes you can leave out Is the note duplicated in the higher register (If you are shaky on theory, go to your local library and check out the book Music Theory for Dummies.) Directors, when you go to a festival or seminar, take classes to learn weaving, four-in-hand and Shelley ringing, and take it home and teach it! You’ll be amazed that you can ring 3-octave pieces with only seven ringers, if those ringers know these techniques! Teaching these techniques has really paid off. Both of my choirs now ring at Level 2+ and Level 3 with confidence. NC Needs You by Marilyn Reese, North Carolina Chair mlrncbells@nc.rr.com 2011 is here at full speed! So much is happening, being planned, and filling wish lists. In October, at our fall State Chair meeting for Area III, we agreed that the states would take over the KidzRing (also known as a “Rookie Ring”) event so that it would be a one-day, local event. Translation: I need volunteers to plan and carry out this event this year. Since North Carolina is so large, we would ideally have two events: one in the central/ eastern part of the state, and one in the central/western part. This is an easy event to hold and I stand ready and willing to assist the chairs of this event. If this opportunity is right for you, contact me and we will talk more. You would only be responsible for one event. nc North Carolina ringers and directors, if Ocean City (Maryland) is too far away, opportunities still abound for spring festivals. Please consider attending the Richmond Another event discussed is a “Read and Ring” (for teens and/or adults), which could be held anywhere in North Carolina. This one-day event is also an easy one to organize, and the music would be supplied for you. Again, I stand ready to assist the chairperson. These sessions are such fun as the ringers get to ring new music which they don’t have to rehearse ahead of time. Individuals and partial choirs can easily attend for a fun day of ringing and meeting other ringers. Festival (in Richmond, VA) on April 8–9, or the Blue Ridge Festival (in Flat Rock, NC) in the beautiful North Carolina mountains (near Hendersonville) on May 13–14. Make it a weekend getaway, and consider bringing the family: Flat Rock boasts Carl Sandburg’s home as well as the Flat Rock Playhouse, hiking, good eating, and shopping. The spring festivals give your choirs the bonding time that is so crucial to choir-building. Single ringers and partial choirs are always welcome, too. Can you imagine 500+ ringers ringing en masse! “Heavenly” is a description that comes to mind. This year will be especially meaningful in honoring the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as the choirs ring Michael Helman’s Prayer for Peace, dedicated to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The music cover is (continued...) the James River Ringers Handbell Music for All Occasions Dottie Tweedie, Director (804) 357-9810 www.jamesriverringers.org Email: jamesriverringers@yahoo.com 11001 Continental Road Quinton, VA 23141 a community handbell ensemble serving metro Richmond, VA Concerts, weddings, entertainment, workshops 12
Lydia Hazeltine, Delaware Chair area3delrep@yahoo.com No article was received from Lydia for this issue of The Bell-O-Gram. Ned Davis, Virginia Chair nededavis@cox.net No article was received from Ned for this issue of The Bell-O-Gram. Get Your Own! by Linda Lamb, Maryland Chair kenlamb1944@msn.com Owning our very own set of handbells or handchimes is a goal about which most individuals only dream. Yet being district chair led Karen Allen of Mechanicsville, Maryland, to achieve exactly that goal. Karen became district chair for Calvert, St. Mary’s, and Charles counties after I moved from that position to serve as state chair. Being the kind of person who enjoys contacting people, Karen immediately began calling churches and schools in the tri-county area, talking to AGEHR members and non-members. Along the way, she discovered that a nearby church owned a set of handchimes, but was not using them. Karen offered to work with the church to establish a program and they de said they would consider her offer and get back to her. After md some time, the church decided that they were not interested in having a handchime program. Karen consulted with her husband about the probable cost of buying the handchimes and made an offer to purchase the set. The church agreed, and Karen became the new owner of a two-octave set of Malmark handchimes. (continued from page 12) beautifully illustrated and a score to cherish. As you ring this piece, a video collage of scenes will be shown. We all recall where we were that Tuesday, how we worried about friends and relatives, how we learned the news, and our reactions. Looking back after 10 years, let us ring to honor those we lost that day. Before you even know what’s happened, many of us will take a summer break from ringing. This is the time to reflect on the year we’ve concluded, and those who have contributed so much to our handbell programs. As a director, I try to find a special way to say “thank you” to my ringers. In the 28 years I have been involved with handbells and chimes, my ringers have found numerous ways to show their appreciation. What have been your experiences I would like to hear the ways you have shown and received gratitude as part of the handbell world. E-mail me with your experiences and ideas you may be considering. Think big and wild, think small and practical, and everywhere in between! I look forward to sharing your ideas in the next issue, hopefully from the mountains to the coast! I have received two requests for help in locating bell or chime sets that are not being used. A choir in Raleigh and another in Wilmington both need bells to promote their programs. What a great predicament to be in! Many of us have bells and struggle to find ringers. I have realized that there is a hole in our knowledge of whose programs are not active and have bells sitting in the closets. I need you to help locate those unused bells and chimes. If you can help, please contact me. If you are not in these two areas but know of a set not being used, also let me know. I am going to begin a list to identify sets that might be put to use. It’s sad to see bells and not hear them! Please note my new e-mail address (mlrncbells@nc.rr. com) and phone number (919-523-6420). Take a moment to contact me with bell news, ideas, local events, questions, and to volunteer. Successful programs cannot happen without your help and participation, so North Carolina, I’m waiting to hear from you! 13 Karen says: “As to what I am doing with them, I have one lady who played music in high school and is re-learning to recognize which lines and spaces are which, and we practice once a week — she is really good at picking it up! I wrote out some simple exercises in several keys for us to do. However, four notes gets rather limiting, so I asked my husband if he would like to learn to ring handchimes (how could he say no). So now I can write little ditties using six notes! We are progressing slowly, but groups have been started with less than this, so I am conservatively optimistic!” Karen also mentions using Michael Joy’s notes from his class on rhythms, which she attended at Pinnacle last summer in Nashville: “Soon we will move on to getting two independent rhythms, one with each hand/arm; this seems to be the most difficult part of bell ringing at the start.” What else could one do with a set of handchimes For starters, individual practicing with handchimes would be an improvement on practicing with spoons or rice-filled saladdressing bottles! Or one could start a children’s group, especially with home-schooled children. Or maybe round up a group of ringers and visit nursing homes with Ring Along booklets – no music reading skills required. One could always begin solo ringing with an easy piece. The possibilities are many – supply your own justification for owning your own set of bells or chimes. Karen says, “if you know anyone who wants to learn to ring, please send them my way!” Obviously, it would be wonderful if we could revive every program that has gone dormant, but it isn’t always possible. So, like Karen, look for opportunities and don’t let bells or chimes go to waste hiding in a closet!
Page 1 and 2: February 2011 Volume 36, Issue 2 th
Page 3 and 4: Westminster Ringers A Maryland Hand
Page 5 and 6: ief description in order to create
Page 7 and 8: Last Chance REGISTER NOW! Ocean Cit
Page 9 and 10: What’s Shakin ’ UPCOMING AGEH
Page 11: Silent Donations (and Silent Wars)
Page 15 and 16: Scholarships: yours for the winning

NeariNg the eNd(s) - Area III

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