The Newsletter of Area 1 Handbell Musicians of America | Vol. XXXIX No. 4 | August 2024 | |
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IN THIS EDITION:
- Report from the Board Chair
- Notice of next Area 1 Board Meeting - and a Ring Social!
- Summer Event Recaps
- Festival Conference 2025 Repertoire Announced!
- First Look at Winter Workshop 2025
- Notes from State and Regional Chairs
- Please be sure to scroll down to see - and support - our advertisers
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IMPORTANT READABILITY NOTICE: There's lots of great things happening in Area 1! So much so that Gmail can't show you everything in one email. Many Gmail users have noticed (and perhaps some of you haven't noticed) that our newsletter gets cut off at the bottom. You must click "view entire message" at the bottom of this email in order to read the full newsletter. Also, regardless of your email platform, you must enable "external images" in order to see all graphics and activate hot links. If you want to see the photos embedded in the newsletter at a larger view, simply cilck on each photo. Sorry for all the extra steps, but you really don't want to miss out! | |
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My goodness, the summer is flying by, but I’m enjoying every handbell-filled second of the time I have while being off teaching. I use the summer to dive deep into the world of handbells, absorbing knowledge from friends and colleagues around the world. So far I’ve gotten another rack of Malmark Cymbells and the 4th octave of Malmark handbells. I have room for them on my handbell rack in the basement, but let’s not tell my husband how much I paid, ok?!
Based on your feedback, this past year the Area 1 Board worked to provide even more educational opportunities throughout New England, and we hope that you have been able to take advantage of some of them! From those I’ve met at these events, I’ve heard numerous praises for the clinicians and pride in newly developed skills.
We are heading into a Festival Conference year. As the largest gathering of handbell musicians in the Area, Festival Conference is a chance to incorporate ringer feedback and provide the programming necessary for everyone to grow in our love of ringing. We will meet in June 2025 at Worcester State University in Massachusetts. While we aim to move the event around New England in the years ahead, the truth of this year's decision is that Worcester State came in with the best bid, allowing us to keep costs affordable - nearly half that of other bids received! If you have suggestions or connections for a 2027 venue, please don’t hesitate to send them my way.
Our 2025 Festival Conference music list has been published (see article below). Tins - please hold off on purchasing your copies if you are a 2-octave grouping. We are working with the composers/arrangers on obtaining compatible 2-octave versions of these pieces. More information to come on that soon.
I’m really excited to have Stevie Berryman and Fred Gramann back in Area 1 as our Festival Conference clinicians. I’ve never laughed harder or learned more than I have with Stevie, and I’m really looking forward to learning and ringing with Fred - I'll be spending Bay View Week of Handbells with Fred later this month!
We are also planning to hold an emerging handbell musicians workshop in February 2025 to include titles more easily accessible to our beginning ringers. Attempting to provide “something for everyone” means we’ll be busy in the year ahead. We hope that you will continue to be in contact with your State Chairs and other board members to share what you want and what you need. We’re ready to respond and we’re excited to share our love of handbells with you!
Happy RInging!
Jenn Stack
Area 1 Chair
chair.area1@handbellmusicians.org
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Editor's Note: Area 1 is grateful to Handbell Services for allowing us to use their handbell silhouette artwork featured in our 'Report from the Chair' header. | |
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Notice of next Area 1 Board Meeting -
and a Ringing Opportunity!
Area 1 Board Meetings are open to all members of the Guild and held three times a year, usually in January, May and September. Our next regular Board Meeting is September 14, which will be held in person in Hadley, Massachusetts. Join us for a fun Ring Social music-making session following the meeting. Considering a board position? Just want to hear about all the cool stuff happening here? If you are interested in attending, please email Jenn Stack, Area 1 Chair.
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What I Did On My Summer Vacation
Another successful Friends and Family Handbell Camp was logged at Camp Wightman in Griswold, Connecticut, June 21-23. Attendees enjoyed e variety of crafts and traditional camp fun, along with healthy doses of handbell ringing, as these photos attest. Thanks to all who participated!
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Area 1 Hosts National Seminar
The 70th Anniversary of Handbell Musicians of America was celebrated in style last month as handbell musicians from around the world descended on Area 1 via the Hartford Convention Center for National Seminar, and the lead up Master Series and Distinctly Teen events. It was great to have so many Area 1 peeps in the house as National Seminar committee members, faculty, guest choirs, vendors and attendees. The Area 1 photo booth served as the feature backdrop for many a photo, as seen below.
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Festival Conference 2025 Repertoire Announced
With this issue we are pleased to announce the repertoire that will be played at Area 1 Festival Conference next June 26-29 at Worcester State University. As mentioned above in the Report from the Chair article, Tins choirs should not purchase music yet if you are a 2-octave grouping. We are working with the composers/arrangers on obtaining compatible 2-octave versions of these pieces, and we hope to have that information for you soon. Meanwhile, more details about Festival Conference 2025 can be found at https://area1.handbellmusicians.org/festival-conference/.
We anticipate that registration will be live in early 2025. Stay tuned, and we look forward to another amazing time in Worcester!
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Winter Workshop 2025 is in the works!
Mark your calendar now for January 24-25, 2025, when Area 1 returns to UMass Amherst for our popular Winter Workshop weekend. The Distinctly New England track will be directed by Jason Krug, and Beyond Basics, Before Bronze will be directed by Pete Larson and Samantha Beschta.
Repertoire for Distinctly New England:
- Prelude and Fugue on Noel Nouvelet – Fred Gramann, From the Top Publishing, MFM20783/5-7 octaves handbells and handchimes/Level 5
- Hallelujah – Matthew Compton, Grassy Meadow Music, GMH350016/3-6 octaves handbells and handchimes/Level 3+
- Pale Blue Dot – Jason Krug, Jeffers Publishing, JHS9605/5-8 octaves handbells/Level 5
Repertoire for Beyond Basics, Before Bronze:
(Both pieces are also Massed pieces in the Festival Conference 2025 Repertoire)
- Fanfare and Intrada - Jason Krug, Beckenhorst Publishing, MBEHB777/3-6 octaves handbells/Level 3
- Recollection – Tim Waugh, Choristers Guild, MCGB973 /3-5 octaves handbells/Level 2+
Stay tuned for registration details in the coming months!
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Notes from CONNECTICUT
Suzanne Neafus, Connecticut State Chair
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Greetings Connecticut Ringers –
It is hard to think of winter during these warm summer days, but most of us will soon need to select Christmas music. To aid in your selection, there will be a Holiday-Themed Repertoire Read on Saturday, September 7 at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Gales Ferry. This event is open to both ringers and directors. Together, we will read through some music, and you can purchase the titles you like. More event details will be coming soon.
August will be an exciting handbell month for me, as a group of new adult ringers will take on the challenge of learning to play bells and perform at an upcoming church service. One resource I found very useful in getting the group ready was Stevie Berryman's scarf stroke video. This technique is a fun way to have people learn to hold a handbell and then encourage them to think about their technique. The goal is less about how the song turns out but more about allowing people to learn and have them stay motivated in the art of handbell ringing.
As we begin our fall seasons, I encourage you to seek and create an atmosphere that helps your fellow
ringers succeed. We all have stories where bell rehearsals became a chore, and we may have exasperated the situation rather than actively trying to improve it.
Let's be positive this upcoming season. Think about what you can do as a ringer or conductor to spark an attitude where people enjoy ringing and are encouraged to improve. Let's help people delight in music at any level, inspiring others to join.
Happy Ringing.
Suzanne Neafus
Connecticut State Chair - Area 1
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Notes from MAINE
Dana Humphreys, Maine State Chair
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Hello Maine Ringers!
The HMA held their annual 4-1/2 day National Seminar in July at the Hartford (CT) Convention Center. This was my first National Seminar and when I registered, I wondered what could possibly fill nearly five days? Well, from the moment I arrived Tuesday afternoon to the last concert Saturday afternoon, it was go, go, go with workshops, ringing tracks, concerts, a scavenger hunt, dozens of vendors (including a virtual reality booth) and social events where we could meet ringers from all over the country. The seminar offered 67 workshops and ringing tracks taught by 41 faculty members. Many taught by Bronze level ringers from New England and many by nationally known composers, arrangers and directors, such as David Harris, Sandra Eithun, Cathy Moklebust, Brenda Austin, Ron Mallory and so many more. I took classes in percussion techniques, ensemble ringing, a 100,000-mile check-up on my own ringing techniques, music theory, musicality in handbells, and even physical fitness for ringers. There were classes with boomwhackers and balloons and fixing coordination conundrums (oh, do I
have coordination conundrums).
And the concerts! We were treated to nine concerts performed by high level handbell choirs from New England to Virginia to Illinois, and several performed by teen choirs. Every concert ended with an immediate and enthusiastic standing ovation.
Maine was well represented at the conference - Amy, BJ, Bethany, Felicia, Kathy, Mandy and Mya from Penobscot Bay Ringers, Anne and Jean from Deer Isle Sunset Congregational Church, Joy from Cumberland Congregational Church, and me, from Falmouth Foreside Church. And we had a special star among us! Felicia Robinson of Penobscot Bay Ringers auditioned for and was selected to ring bass bells with the All Star Choir under the direction of David Harris, director of Raleigh Ringers. The All Star Choir performed in the closing concert on Saturday and they were spectacular! It was a full and educational experience for me, and I am ready to swing back into bells in September.
Be sure to read the reports from the Area 1 state chairs, there may be a workshop or two you might be interested in attending. I’ve attended workshops in Massachusetts and found them fun and really helpful.
I plan to continue my visits of choirs around the state this fall, and I hope to meet many of you in the coming year.
Dana
Maine State Chair
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Hi, Everyone!
How wonderful to see so many of you in Hartford last month! Area 1 in general, and Massachusetts and New Hampshire in particular, were certainly well-represented at National Seminar. I hope you came away inspired and energized for the year to come, as I did!
We anticipate offering several skill-building opportunities in our region this fall. Not all details are finalized yet, but look for more info coming soon to your inboxes about the following opportunities:
Northeastern MA Annual Skill-Building and Holiday Repertoire-Reading
When: Saturday, September 28
Where: St. Matthew’s UMC, 435 Central Street, Acton, MA
Clinicians: Diane Burke, Sue Lee, and friends
How Much: $15 for either half of the day, or $25 for the full day
Schedule:
· Check-in opens: 8:00
· Welcome and announcements: 8:30
· Morning Classes: 9:00-10:15 and 10:30-11:45
· Lunch (bring your own brown-bag meal): 12:00-12:45
· Afternoon Repertoire Reading: 1:00-3:00
New Hampshire Skill-Building and Repertoire-Reading
When: Saturday, October 5
Where: TBD
Clinicians: Lisa Arnold, Kelly Brown, Cathy Marker, and Carlene Ruesenberg
How Much: $15 for either half of the day, or $25 for the full day
Schedule:
· Check-in opens: 8:00
· Welcome and announcements: 8:30
· Morning Classes (options include basic technique, weaving, 4-in-hand, and score study): 9:00-10:15 and 10:30-11:45
· Lunch (bring your own brown-bag meal): 12:00-12:45
· Afternoon Repertoire Reading (featuring Festival Conference music): 1:00-3:00
Intermediate/Advanced Directors’ Workshop
When: Saturday, November 2
Where: Andover, MA
Clinician: Griff Gall
Other details to come soon!
I hope to see many of you at one of these events! Until then, happy ringing!
Abby Schoppe
Chair, Greater Boston MA/NH Region
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Hi, Cape Cod! I hope you are all having a good summer and managing to avoid too much craziness from tourists!
I continue to be excited for the 2025 Cape Cod Spring, which will be held on March 22 in Harwich. We will share repertoire for that event in the October issue of the Fundamental Tone. But in the meantime, we have another event coming up even sooner. Mark your calendars now for fall skill-building and repertoire-reading, with details as follows:
Date: Saturday, November 16
Location: Church of the Holy Spirit, 204 Monument Road, Orleans, MA
Clinicians: Diane Burke, Emlee Kohler, and Sue Lee
Registration: $25 for either half of the day, or $15 for the full day
Schedule:
· Check-in opens: 8:00
· Welcome and announcements: 8:30
· Morning Classes (options include Basic Ringing Technique, Weaving, and Treble Skills/4-in-Hand): 9:00-10:15 and 10:30-11:45
· Lunch (bring your own brown-bag meal): 12:00-12:45
· Afternoon Repertoire Reading (including music from 2025 Cape Cod Spring Ring): 1:00-3:00
The link for registration will be forthcoming soon; watch your inboxes. I hope to see many of you in Orleans in November, and until then, happy ringing!
Abby Schoppe
Chair, Cape Cod & Islands Region
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Hello Western Mass!
A few short weeks ago we were at National Seminar celebrating the 70th anniversary of where it all began! From taking classes to participating in the ringing tracks with our favorite composers, it was a 5-day musical adventure with lots of old friends and many new ones. Every day we were treated to not one but two outstanding concerts from groups across the country. Be sure to check out the highlights on the Area 1 or HMA Facebook pages. And as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so below are a few pictures of western Mass attendees having an amazing time!
Click this link to read my full article with photos!
Audrey Pierce
Western MA Chair
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Dearest Gentle Ringer,
So much learning, so much ringing, so much fun! As we lean into August, we are now on the other side of the summer ringing fests. I have been reflecting on what has been an action-packed time! Mixed in between family vacations and binge-watching Netflix, I was fortunate enough to attend both the Handbell Friends and Family Camp from June 21-23 in Griswold, CT and the National Seminar from July 9-13 in Hartford, CT. It was my first time at both events, and I highly recommend these handbell activities.
My son, Mason, who is 10 years old, came with me to camp. He had a great time ringing in the Beginning Tins track with Jenn Stack (who promoted them to “Professional Tins” by the end of the camp), doing crafts (painting turtles on rocks was a highlight), and getting to know the other handbell kids (handbell families rock)! I had a great time stretching my technique in the Copper track with Dan Moore, relaxing by the pond, and tie-dyeing some gloves. I got to rub elbows (literally) with some really great ringers. Why don’t you join us next time??
The National Seminar was impressive. There was so much to see, hear, and learn. I was amazed at all of the performing choirs, showcasing their immense talent and their incredible dedication to this artform. I got to ring under Griff Gall, and then watch him and his Back Bay Ringers perform at the highest level! Being able to chat with some seminal handbell composers and arrangers, meet people from all over the country, and catch up with some long-time friends were all highlights.
Even though August can feel like a “perpetual Sunday evening” (before school starts up again) for teachers, I reflect on a full and rich summer, and I look forward to a year ahead that’s just as memorable!
Read my full article with photos at this link!
Happy Summer!!
Jill Boday
Rhode Island State Chair
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Happy Summer, everyone!
The leadership of the Vermont Handbell Association is hard at work planning our first state-wide, collaborative events since COVID. Our team is excited to be meeting together again at the end of July, and we look forward to inviting handbell musicians to beautiful Vermont soon. In the meantime, Vermont was well-represented at National Seminar in Hartford, CT. Newport, VT’s teen handbell ensemble, the Bronze Ambassadors of the United Christian Academy (my kids!), performed a Celtic-inspired concert at National Seminar that featured eight guest musicians on whistle, flutes, synth, guitar, bass, tenor drum, congas, shaker, and drum kit. UCA’s Meredith Gaines, Travis Gaines, Ruth Marquette, Erin Fortin, and Madeline Strepka joined friends from around the country, Krishna Ersson, Martha Matthews, Cathy Moklebust, and Michèle Sharik, on three of the pieces. Three students in grades 9, 10, and 11, conducted half of the concert, and they were all well-received by the audience. It was an exciting experience for everyone, and we are grateful to HMA for choosing us to perform. Thank you also, everyone, who worked to make the Area 1 table so informative and fun! I’ve heard so many comments about how great this Seminar was. Way to go, Area 1! Wishing you all a wonderful August.
Kimberlee Strepka
Vermont State Chair
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