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Hello Area 12 members!
As we get deeper into the fall season, I want to encourage everyone to reach out to your regional coordinator with any upcoming concerts or events you have scheduled. Please also make sure to utilize the website and calendar to help get the word out. If you have attended any great performances or events this fall, please tell us all about them.
Happy ringing!
Scott
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Our Fall Area 12 board meeting was held on September 12th and 13th in Livermore, CA, hosted by our Communications Director, Cathy Griggs.
This meeting marked the start of new terms of office for our elected board members:
- Chair: Scott McGlasson
- Past Chair: Michèle Sharik
- Chair Elect: Tessique Houston
- Secretary: Carol Flint
- Treasurer: Marc Davidson
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At this meeting we welcomed some newly-appointed officers to the Area 12 Board: Rylan Frankenberger as the Membership Director, Rachel Hines as Member-at-Large. We also are glad to have Marci Nuoffer staying on the board, moving to the Events position after finishing the Chair cycle. All of the other appointed board members and Regional Coordinators (RCs) are remaining on the board in the same positions.
As we welcome new board members, we also say goodbye to board members that are leaving the board. The Area 12 Board expresses our thanks to our retiring treasurer, Kathy Arnold, for her many years of service.
One of the main topics at our meeting was the planning of the 2028 summer conference will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area in June. The Event Committee is now getting started and more details for this event will be coming soon. As we started to plan for the next conference, we took a look back at the Neon City Rhythms conference that was held in June of this year. We had some very positive feedback from those who attended the conference. One thing that was exciting was to have some new ringers attending (the youngest being 9 years old). A HUGE thanks to Marci Nuoffer and her committee for their excellent organization and attention to detail that made this a very successful event!
Area 12’s next board meeting will be January 30, 2027. Talk to your RC if you have any comments, questions, concerns, or issues that you would like to see added to the agenda.
Happy ringing,
Carol Flint
Area12 Secretary
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Web Weavings
Of course, you all know you can submit your handbell events and concerts for a free website calendar entry, right?
But did you know you can also give your event more attention with an Area 12 website banner? The front page of the Area 12 website has a revolving banner that cycles through a number of frames every few seconds.
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Banner ads can run weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Sponsored events get a free web banner. Endorsed events get a free banner for one month; additional time can be purchased. Neither a sponsored nor endorsed event (think concert)? There's pricing for that too. A great way to expand your reach.
Full details here. Questions? Contact the Webmaster.
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Hi CenCal!
How are your rehearsals going this fall? Are you getting back into the “swing” of things? If you have concert plans coming up, please send in your events so we can help spread the word. You can submit them on the website or send them to me directly. We’ll be highlighting them next month here in The Twelfth Tone, as well as on the Area 12 website calendar. Photos from past performances and events are welcome, too!
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Fall is also a great time to think about recruiting and introducing others to handbells. My church handbell choir recently helped with our Sunday hospitality, and it was a great opportunity to highlight our ministry and talk with people who might be interested in trying something new.
Sometimes the simplest things can be a good way to get people curious. Everyone loves snacks, and offering a few treats can be an easy way to draw people in. A “handbell petting zoo” gives people a chance to pick up a handbell and try it without making a commitment. That little bit of hands-on experience can be enough to spark some interest.
How are you helping others discover handbells and perhaps become interested in ringing? If your ensemble has a recruitment strategy that’s worked well, I’d love to hear about it and share some ideas with the rest of CenCal. Happy fall!
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For information on Northern Nevada concerts, events, and other opportunities,
click here.
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Howdy!
We had a WONDERFUL time at Tintab's Bell Jam! It was filled with refreshers, food, fellowship and FUN! They even surprised me with a birthday cake! Here are some pictures from our event:
Stay tuned for our next event, Sierra Spring Ring, and don't miss the fun!
Barb
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Reminder that registration is open for the Las Vegas Twelfth Night Handbell Festival (endorsed by Area 12) with Brenda Austin as this year’s guest conductor. Early registration ends on November 30. All details are available at https://harmonyhandbells.com/festival/. Hope to see you there!
Happy ringing!
Alison
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REDDING HANDBELL FESTIVAL
October 24, 2026
Clocks are ticking, leaves are changing, and it is almost time for the festival. Ringers will be coming from California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. What exactly draws ringers from far away places to a small festival in Redding? Maybe it is the chance to walk across the world famous Sundial Bridge. Maybe it is a chance to test their skill finding their way through Nash’s Farm Corn Maze. Maybe it is a chance to ring with old friends or new friends. Maybe it is an opportunity to play under the direction of BARB WALSH. Whatever the reason I am glad to have them coming.
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Although registration was due October 4th you may still attend if you really want to come. The fee is $40.00 per ringer. You will need to reach out to me for the registration forms and of course music should be learned ahead of time. The final concert will feature patriotic music and general music from the festival choir. Solo choirs, soloists, duets, and quartets will also perform at the concert.
For any late-comers who want to attend the October 24 festival please contact me at schmitt@awwwsome.com
This event is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America.
Enjoy your fall ringing,
Nancy Schmitt
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LET’S GIVE IT A TRY!
Did you and/or your bell ringers ever want to attend an event out of your area but it made you just tired thinking of packing up all your equipment and driving 2-3 hours or more down or up the road to that event. Maybe it meant learning 4 or 5 pieces of music as well. That would mean buying the music and paying for gas to drive 150 miles. Oh well, maybe someday you might do it.
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I would like to make this proposal to you. If all you have to do is furnish a venue (church, school, garage, community center, etc.) and one of the Area 12 board members comes to you to do all that other “stuff” would you come to that event? The event could be a reading session playing through a lot of new music or a technique workshop. The workshop could be a half day or a full day. Best of all it would be in your own backyard so to speak!
I encourage you to think it over and please reach out to me if you are interested. Ask me questions or make suggestions. We will even take care of reaching out to school bell choirs and church bell choirs in your area to invite them to come to that special event. Remember you just provide the place! We do the rest.
Happy fall ringing,
Cindy Ksiazek
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Dear Area 12,
Registration is now open for two excellent youth-focused events in Orange County next spring. If you direct a middle school, high school, college, or young adult ensemble, please consider registering your group.
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Concordia, Young Ringers Festival:
Saturday, March 13, 2027
This event is for ringers 8th grade and younger. It will include a mass ring performance and a combined handbell concert featuring your ensemble alongside Concordia's top handbell ensembles. The intention of this festival is to learn from experienced clinicians, experience the greater handbell community, and perform for each other. Adjudication options available at no additional cost.
More info, and register HERE
Concordia, High School and Collegiate Handbell Invitational:
Monday, March 15, 2027
We invite you and your bell ensemble to be part of our 2027 high school and collegiate handbell invitational on the campus of Concordia University, Irvine. It will include a mass ring performance, optional adjudication/workshop sessions, and a combined handbell concert featuring your ensemble as well as Concordia's handbell ensembles. The intention of this invitational is to learn from other directors, experience the greater handbell community, and perform for each other.
More info, and register HERE
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Hello, SoCal!
Even though the year-end holidays are still three months away, I know many of you, myself included, are already starting to prepare for them, as has my local Costco, much to my disappointment. I prefer a little Halloween (or at least All Saints Day) before the red and green start appearing in the stores.
HMA has recently started an updated list of handbell choirs, so far we have three in the SoCal area. I would encourage you to include your choir in the listing. It’s a great way for ringers interested in joining a choir to find you.
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Also in the last week or so, HMA has added a field for a description of your group. If your listing is already up, and the option to include a description was not available at the time, please see the details in the September 29th edition of This Week in Handbells from HMA to include your description. And, if you are not receiving This Week in Handbells, now is a great time to sign up through the HMA website.
LA Bronze had a great time on Sept 19th with 32 people signing up for our Read and Ring event. The music was available for sale, so I thought you might enjoy knowing our top sellers for your consideration in your future music choices. Ah Holy Jesus (Matt Compton, L1, MJP3124) and Sacred Silence (Karrssa Dennis, L2, JHS9520) (also my two personal favorites) sold out completely. Gratitude (Alex Guebert, L2-, RW8274), Abide with Me (Jason Krug, L2, MRW8228), and All Things Bright and Beautiful (Isaac Wan, L1, MCB2507) were close runners up.
Blessings,
Carol Pickford
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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.
We have over 1500 contacts, a 40% open rate (17% higher than the industry average) and a 13% click rate. Book your ad NOW!
For advertising types and rates:
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Payment is due prior to publication. Submission DEADLINE is the 20th of each month. No issue in July.
Please submit your ads via email to:
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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.
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to submit YOUR event!
(and get a social media push!)
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