Greetings, All.

For many, Easter and Holy Week are busy times for ringing in our churches along with getting ready for Spring workshops and concerts; it's a busy and exciting season for us!

This Easter, since my bell choirs were not ringing in worship, I decided to visit a small Lutheran church that is literally across the street from my home, which I have never visited before in 20 years. The service was lovely, they no longer had a vocal choir, but the service was full of music from soloists, strings, brass, and some handbells.

The organist, Rev. Dennis Gano, was appointed last year after retiring from a long-distinguished career, but what made the music extraordinary was that he had lost his vision in recent years-he is legally blind and unable to read sheet music. Rev. Gano played 3 preludes (one with a string quartet), 6 congregational hymns, the service music, the Hallelujah Chorus with the strings, and then closed the service with the Widor 5th Symphony Toccata, all from memory! Obviously, he has quite a gift of musicianship, but it was also clear he was able to play so much from memory because he knew the music from study and practice; it was now part of him.

As ringers we often have to play from memory, and it's not always a welcome challenge, but seeing Rev. Gano play so freely and expressively while not tied down to a score has inspired me to commit to memorizing more both as a conductor and performer. We often think our brains can multitask but that isn't true scientifically, and if we do not have to continually read the notes on the score, we can spend more brain time focused on making the music or maybe even watching the conductor. It was definitely a special Easter morning at that church!

Finally, please do check out the upcoming events in your area and support as you can by attending as a participant or audience member. Happy ringing!

'Til next time,
Scott Leggett
Chair

chair.area12@handbellmusicians.org

Hi, Bay Area,

What are some of the things you associate with spring? For some it could be the "Super Bloom" of the California Golden Poppy. Maybe it's Easter or warmer weather. Spring is the promise of longer days and pollen allergies. It's the promise of insects and taxes. It's the promise of longer walks in the evenings and of course a promise to get some spring-cleaning done!

I have a spring-cleaning situation of my own. I oversee four sets of handbells that could use some work. Most of our programs break just before summer starts so what better time to send in your handbells for a face-lift! But as we all know, handbell refurbishment isn't cheap. Some of us may have a maintenance fund for handbells and some of us may not.

Our churches love handbells and we know it because they tell us! When we ask for donations they are happy to assist but perhaps handbell maintenance is an important conversation to have with your church leaders. See if you can come up with ways to save for refurbishment. If you are a director, familiarize yourself with the cost and educate your church leaders. Let them know handbells can go many years before their next refurbishment so there is ample time to save. If you are a handbell musician, you know how important it is to play on a good set of handbells. Remind them that handbells need to be cared for if they are to continue to make beautiful music.

Let me know if you need any other talking points or reasons why handbell maintenance is so important.

Oh ... I forgot about Spring Rings! Spring promises Spring Rings!!

Hi there, SoCal!

Howdy!

Greetings, CenCal!

By now, y'all are probably winding up your ringing year with a flurry of spring concerts. I want to let you know about a fabulous concert coming up, with more "bells and whistles" than are normally seen in a handbell concert. Here is the info:

Hurry hurry, June 1 will be here before you know it!

Hello from Northern California!

Aloha!

Karen Carlisle

hi.area12@handbellmusicians.org

Alison Pruett

vegas.area12@handbellmusicians.org