Greetings-

First a bit of old business. I've received a note from our Area 10 Conference guest clinician, Sondra Tucker. In her words "The festival was beautifully run, the ringers were well prepared, the people so friendly and welcoming!" Another big thank-you to our event chairman, Diane Barnes, and the rest of the Area Board who made this event happen.

And now I've returned from a 3 1/2 week road trip with my wife which included a week in St. Louis at the National Handbell Seminar. My time there began on Tuesday afternoon with a meeting with other area leaders and national board members, discussing a couple of changes to the National By-laws and sharing information on how familiar our area leaders are with both Area and National By-laws. (If you're interested, the Area 10 By-laws are available under the "Who We Are" tab on our website area10.handbellmusicians.org and yes they need a little updating.) The Area leaders were also brought up to date on changes in the National office, the retirement of AGEHR Music editor, John Behnke, and down-sizing of the AGEHR Music publishing service. After the meeting it was conference registration and a reception, our first chance to meet and greet old friends and new.

Starting the next morning (Wednesday) through Saturday afternoon were classes, classes, classes. And a faculty that looked like a "Who's Who" of the handbell world. Tracks for improving your ringing or conducting skills, theory classes, movement and rhythm classes, musicality classes, experiential classes (teaching in retirement homes, recruiting for the church group, etc.), and many more. A high light for me was a Score Study class. Not just meter, key, tempo but looking deeper in how various chord changes lead to expressing the composer's feelings and then with bells in hand attempting to convey those moods. My wife enjoyed a number of hands-on classes including an Introduction to Percussion Instruments taught by Cathy Moklebust. (Cathy brings a U-Haul trailer full of "toys" to use in this class.)

We both enjoyed the Introduction to New Music classes ("read and rings") presented by the major publishing companies. In many cases the pieces were explained and conducted by the composers. What a thrill! Then there was the Handbell Industry Council's (HIC) exhibition area, a large ball room filled with booths with the latest music, equipment, apparel and paraphernalia. Plenty of time between classes to find that perfect Christmas quartet or a new pair of gloves!

Finally the highlight of the seminar - concerts by some of the best bell groups anywhere. Each day after lunch and again either before or after dinner we were treated to a full 50 minute to an hour performance showcasing new concepts and new music while nostalgically playing a number of old favorites. Groups included Twin Cities Bronze, Houston Chamber Ringers, Virginia Bronze, Rezound!, Strikepoint and Bells of the Lakes. Especially high on my list were Timbre (from Southern California) who combined artistic movement and dance with bell ringing and Quadrants, a quartet with unbelievable grace and speed.

Well in a nutshell that was the 2019 National Seminar. I was especially pleased that a number of Area 10 Board members were in attendance plus a number of Area friends. I hope this and other articles in this newsletter will whet your appetite for attending next year's Seminar. It will be held in Orlando, July 16 -20. We are planning to attend, hope to see you there.

 

Glen