Fundamental Tone - April 2020

The Newsletter of Area 1 | Volume XXXV No. 2 | April 2020

News for Handbell Musicians in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont

Notes from THE CHAIR

Hello Directors and Ringers of Area 1,

We are living in interesting times. As I write this, churches, schools, and social venues are shutting down for two to six weeks, and we aren’t sure when things will start opening up again. Unfortunately, this has effected all of our Spring Rings. We have had to cancel or rescheduled all of our Area 1 Spring Rings,.... More

2020 FRIENDS AND FAMILY HANDBELL CAMP

will be held at

CAMP WIGHTMAN

GRISWOLD, CT,

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 thru

SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 202 0

At this time there is NO plan to cancel or reschedule FFHC - we choose to be cautiously optimistic and hopeful that the current health situation will abate in the next 2-3 months - we will be extending our registration deadline which will be reflected on the registration page in the next few days. -Jane and Donna

Notes from CONNECTICUT

Greetings from Connecticut!

As I look out in my front garden and see the daffodils sprouting it gives me encouragement that better times will come. The Connecticut Spring Ring for March 28 ^th was cancelled and despite it being an extremely difficult decision at the time, in hindsight I am confident that it was wise to do so. The decision was made not to reschedule. However, knowing that music had already been purchased... More

Notes from MAINE

Dear Handbell Friends,

When we notified you that the Maine Spring Ring would not go forward on March 28 ^th due to the Coronavirus, we also indicated that we would continue to have conversations about the possibility of rescheduling to the Fall. We asked that you be patient for a short wait as we explored alternatives and we thank you for honoring that request. We addressed the issues associated with this potential change as promised and are happy to let you know that October 24 ^th is available to us at the same location as our Spring plans,... More

Notes from MASSACHUSETTS

Greetings from Massachusetts!

I’ve never actually read Gabriel García Márquez’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,” but these days, I keep thinking of the phrase “Handbells in the Time of Coronavirus.”

How can our bell choirs remain in community when we are all isolated at home, practicing “social distancing?”

Here are a few thoughts:... More

Notes from NEW HAMPSHIRE

Hi, everyone.

It’s hard to know what to write this month.

It sort of feels like everything’s gone into free-fall, what with Spring Rings canceled throughout New England and pretty much every community and church bell choir we know of on at least a temporary hiatus. One minute you’re focused hard on Spring concerts and Easter pieces, yanking your hair out over a tricky passage (Heidi: Finale to “Le Carnavale des Animaux”) (Hilary: “Dorian Dance”), and the next thing you know…

…no bells.... More

Notes from RHODE ISLAND

As everyone has mentioned, it is very difficult to know what to write this month. While we were not planning a Spring Ring this year, we were planning to attend many others around Area 1 and are sympathetic to our fellow State Chairs who have found it necessary to cancel their events. We know the work necessary to plan and execute these events. We are still planning our annual RI Holiday Handbell Spectacular to be held on Saturday, November 21, 2020 this will mark the 5th anniversary of this event. Details will be available soon.

Please keep safe!

Notes from VERMONT

The 2020 VT Spring Ring has been rescheduled to

April 2021...with Brian Childers

We are all (including your favorite feline) concerned and anxious about the current health crisis, and it has certainly taken a toll (pun intended) on Area 1 handbell ringers and choirs. While the Klapper Kat is deeply disappointed that spring rings, rehearsals, and other handbell gatherings have been cancelled or postponed, it is for the common good. Please do not be totally disheartened; there are few things more sad than a bummed out ringer! There will be opportunities for all to ring again but at this point we must both in support and be grateful for the decisions made by our directors and event organizers in their efforts to help us not spread and/or contract this horrible pandemic . ... More

Click here for a larger view

The Boston Handbell Festival scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2020 has been cancelled

Back Bay Ringers has cancelled our

spring season

Help us put all handbell groups in Area 1 on the map!

Click here to see the interactive map that we've compiled so far, showing demographic information about all handbell groups in our region (all 6 New England States and the Canadian Maritimes). We are making excellent progress, and we want to be sure to include every group, no matter how small! I f you have not yet completed the survey, please click here to get your group added to the map.

Also, if you know of other groups that are not accounted for, please share the links.

Thank you for your help!

Chime Loaner Program

Remember, to keep the Chime Loaner Program in your discussions and spread the word that this program is for schools , community organizations, home-school coops, churches, after school programs, college activities, any non-profit organization looking for a fun, informative , rewarding activity and is adaptable to all types of learning styles and challenges. .... More