Marci Nuoffer
Greetings Area 12!
This summer flew by! I am amazed at how quickly time flies. As I start a new school year and a new church season, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the demands of starting to prepare for concerts, workshops, and church services. I like to take the summer to contemplate on the direction of my ensembles. In my school program, I get new students every year. So, I am almost starting from scratch. At church, I am always trying to recruit new members. No matter the situation, I have some ringers who are new, and some who have played for years. How do I challenge the returning ringers, yet provide a simple enough program for the newbies? That is my challenge this year. At Bells on the Beach, I walked away with some great ideas such as giving my advanced ringers more bells by using 4-in-hand. I learned that it’s ok to split a part so a new ringer is not overwhelmed. I experienced playing music of all levels in the reading sessions that gave me great ideas for repertoire. I challenged myself and pushed my own ringing ability farther than I thought I could go. I hope you took some time to reflect on your own skills, and if you are a director, on the direction you want to take your ensemble this season. I look forward to serving Area 12 in the next two years as your chair!

Marci
Next Area 12 Board Meeting: September 17-18, 2022
Greetings Area 12 and friends,
Hopefully all of you have seen the announcements for elections, and if you’re a member of the guild, have taken the opportunity to vote. (The deadline is September 11!)

Our fiscal year begins in September, and we’re looking forward to kicking off the year with a meeting September 17 and 18, our first in person meeting in quite a long time, before my tenure for sure.  
Carol Pickford
Gail, our Membership Director, and I have spent the last several weeks going through all the motions made in our board meetings since 1978. It’s quite a collection, as well as an interesting look back at our history. We found a few things that are just a few years outdated, recommended compensation rates have changed quite a bit since 1978!  

We currently have a few open positions on the board, so if you are interested in seeing what we do, please reach out to any one of us for more details. 

Wishing you a great start to another season of ringing! 

Carol
Beth Mays
Hello Friends!
Yes, it's that time again. It's back to school time! As many of us are finding our paths through our new COVID-world, I have been enjoying the posts I've seen on social media preparing for the Fall semester. Teachers are preparing their classrooms. First Day of School pictures are posted. And as schools start their sessions, let us remember how much music promotes student engagement, communication, creativity, and passion. There are many ways to support music education in school at many different levels. Even if not every student is participating in school music programs, encourage them to support their friends who are in music programs. Encourage them to participate in community music programs or church groups. There are so many opportunities for students to get involved with music. 

Don't forget that the Area 12 loan program can provide sets of bells or chimes free of charge for schools looking to start handbell programs. Feel free to reach out to check availability and with any questions. Have a great fall semester everyone!

Beth
Regional Updates
Nancy Schmitt

The Redding Handbell Festival is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing.
Redding Handbell Festival
October 15, 2022
CrossPointe Community Church
Redding, California

Massed Director: Barb Walsh
Registration Fee: $35.00 per participant
 
8:00 a.m. Red Zone Rehearsal
followed by opening bell at 9:10 a.m.
Final concert at 4:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

The day will consist of Massed Ringing and Classes and a Final Concert featuring massed ringing, solo choirs, soloists, and small ensembles.

Classes offered: Christmas on the Bell Tree, Weaving, Ensemble Ringing, Dance and Games, Reading Session, Fun with Drums, Revving up for the Red Zone Bronze Choir, and Handchimes. 

**Music used in the Bell Tree class and the Reading Session may be purchased that day.**

Submitted by Nancy Schmitt, your Far Northern California Liaison
ADVERTISEMENT 8/23
Area 12 at the International Handbell Symposium in Nashville
From L-R (heads, not rows):
Erik Der, Barb MacKenzie, Karna Roa, Ellen Laszlo, Mark MacKenzie, Susan Hitch, Alex Guebert (who also directed the Symposium Choir), Michèle Sharik, Doug Lewis, Judy Lewis Photo Credit: Karna Roa

Michèle Sharik
For information on Southern California concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
Hi there, SoCal–
I hope you've had a fantastic summer & are looking forward to the fall bell season. My own church bell choir has been having every-other-week skill-building sessions and I think we're in a good place as we head into a new program year. 

Speaking of the new program year, my goal is to have the dates of our 2023 SoCal Spring Ring for you by next month's newsletter. I'll post it on the Area 12 Facebook page, so keep an eye on that if you want or need to know sooner.
As you can see from the picture in this newsletter, Area 12 had good representation at the 20th International Symposium in Nashville. A total of ten Area 12 members were there! We had a great time at the Gaylord Opryland, ringing and hanging out with friends from all over the world. This year, in addition to the "usual" countries of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, & Korea, we also had ringers from Brazil, Hungary, & Iceland! It's so inspiring to see the love of handbells spread around the world. 

Have a great September!

My best,
- Michèle 
A full-service handbell store
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bell tree items
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visit us at

612-208-1741
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7209 Morgan Ave S
Richfield, MN 55423

ADVERTISEMENT 6/23
ADVERTISEMENT 10/22
Barbara Walsh
For information on Northern Nevada concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
Bell Jam & Bagels is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing.
Howdy!
I'm SO looking forward to a new season of handbells! If you're looking to dust off your skills, put new "tools in your kit", or just wanting to connect to the greater handbell community, then come to BELL JAM AND BAGELS on Sept 10th, 10:00-2:00 at Sparks United Methodist Church, 1231 Pyramid Way, Sparks, NV.. The event is free and there's even a bagel brunch social included! You can RSVP at http://www.tintabulations.com. Please contact me if you have any questions. You know you want to come!

Barb
Our National Organization (click logos to get more info!)
The Twelfth Tone is published on or around the first of each month, except July, by Area 12 of the Handbell Musicians of America (The Guild). The Guild is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the musical art of handbell/handchime ringing through education, community, and communication. The editor of this publication reserves the right to reject or modify copy.
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Teachers: Would you like the use of a three octave set of handbells or handchimes to add interest and a new dimension to your music class?

Area 12 encourages schools and other educational institutions, both public and private, to develop educational programs using handbells and handchimes.

To support the development of such programs, Area 12 has six 3-octave sets of handbells and three 3-octave sets of handchimes for loan.

To learn more about the responsibilities and procedures for participating in this program, click here.
Looking for a previous issue? We archive the Twelfth Tone on our website: http://area12.handbellmusicians.org/the-12th-tone/
Your Area 12 Board
Elected Officers

Chair
Chair Elect
Past Chair
Treasurer

Secretary
We have an open position in
Social Media. Help us get the word out through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Perfect at one liners and photo captions? This might just be the job for you! Contact Marci if you want to know more about this position.
Appointed Officers

Communications
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Events
Historian
Membership

Social Media

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Vendor Liaison
Regional Coordinators

Central California
Far Northern California Liaison
Hawaii
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Southern Nevada