Next Area 12 Board Meeting (virtual):
Special | January 15, 2022 ••• Saturday 12:30 - 5:30 pm
Kendra Symonds
It's November, Area 12!
"Seasons change and so do we!" Many of us have resumed ringing in our church groups, or are starting from scratch with smaller ensembles. We are rethinking how we do handbells, and hopefully that means that we are finding ways to grow as ringers, directors, and composers. As we head into the holiday season, there will be concerts again! If you would like your event featured on our website calendar, please send your concert info to (calendar submission link here). In addition, the Las Vegas Conference Committee continues to prepare for our Area 12 conference in July 2022. Read on for news on that and other happenings in your area.

Happy ringing!

Kendra
Martalina

Red, White & Bells is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing.
Martalina here – The response to Bronzer and I bringing you the Vegas information last month was heartwarming. We have missed you all and so look forward to meeting you in Vegas. This month I would like to highlight the two Jim Scott Memorial scholarships that are available. Jim was an active member of Area 12 that tragically passed away in 1984. In 1986, the first Jim Scott Memorial scholarships were given and have continued to be given for each conference. The scholarships are available to one ringer and one director. The scholarship includes the registration fee, room at half the double occupancy rate, and any meals provided part of registration. 
Please spread the word about the availability of these scholarships. This is a great way to invite someone that has never gone to the Area 12 conference to join the fun. More information and a link to the application can be found at the Area 12 website. Jim Scott Memorial Scholarship | Handbell Musicians of America Area 12. If you have any questions, Scott Leggett is the person to contact. He can be reached at PastChair.Area12@handbellmusicians.org.
 
On another note, we do have opportunities for folks to share a song or two during one of our Solo Concerts. Perhaps you rang in a small ensemble during the pandemic and have a favorite piece that you could share with us all, or your full choir wants to share a piece. That would be awesome. You do not have to perform a Level 5 piece—do something that touches your heart. You will not find a more appreciative audience than your handbell friends, as well as Bronzer and myself. The application process is simple and can be found at Solo Performances | Handbell Musicians of America Area 12. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Marquise Usher at bayarea.area12@handbellmusicians.org.
 
I hope you got to participate in one of the Bell Table Talks in October. They were a blast, and I got the inside scoop of what is going to be happening. While the next Bell Table Talk is not until January, if you have any questions about the conference, please feel free to contact Alison Pruett our conference chair at Vegas.Area12@handbellmusicians.org or Sharon Guilliams our registrar at Registrar.Area12@handbellmusicians.org.
 
As an aside, I would love to hear about your upcoming concerts and events. You may not realize it, but even if you are not a member of HMA you can have your concert/event within Area 12 boundaries posted on our website. You simply fill out an online form and shortly thereafter it will appear on our website. Submit Your Event | Handbell Musicians of America Area 12. In addition, we periodically pull the events from our calendar and add them to our What’s Up Area 12 Facebook posts. It is a way to show the rest of the world what Area 12 is up to and who knows, Bronzer and I might show up!

Have a happy Thanksgiving and keep ringing. That Soliloquy piece for the conference is kicking my behind! So back to practicing.
Regional Updates
Nancy Schmidt
For information on Northern California concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
Redding Handbell Festival

Beautiful weather, great clinicians, and 55 awesome festival participants made the Redding Handbell Festival a huge success. Tessique Houston directed the massed numbers in her usual fun loving manner and Barb Walsh directed the Red Zone Bronze choir in her well-known animated manner! Ringers and directors came from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California. There were classes and a final concert open to the public which 96 people attended. The audience was treated to massed ringing, two solos, a trio, Tintabulations ringing two solo choir songs, and one song rung by the Red Zone. The entire festival was truly a refreshing experience for those people anxious to get back to ringing with others.
Michèle Sharik
For information on Southern California concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
SoCal Spring Ring is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing. www.handbellmusicians.org
Hi there, SoCal!

The other day I spotted a Dark-eyed Oregon Junco at one of my bird feeders. Just as robins herald the arrival of spring, juncos are harbingers of winter. As the temperature drops and rainy season begins (we hope), many of us are preparing for our winter handbell season. My own group is preparing to ring for Reformation Sunday, but after that we will start practicing music for our Christmas Eve services. Will your church have handbells at Christmas Eve services? If so, please let me know when and where. Many people travel during the holidays and like to hear the joyful sound of handbells. Our calendar should be a resource for them.

As promised last month, the information and registration forms for the 2022 SoCal Spring Ring are now available. You can find them HERE. It will feel so good to ring together again and I hope that we will have record attendance. 

As always, stay safe and sane this season and have a great Thanksgiving!

My best,
-Michèle 
ADVERTISEMENT 10/22
Sharon Guilliams
For information on LA Metro's concerts, events,  
and other opportunities, click here.  
Spring Ring and Ring, Read, and Rejoice are sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing. www.handbellmusicians.org
Welcome to Fall LA Metro,

I would like to thank Christian Guebert for volunteering to be our clinician, and Mark Longfield and Linda White for offering their facilities for the 2021 Bell Jubilee, even though it did not happen. The ramifications of the pandemic are lasting longer than anyone wants. Next year, Bell Jubilee will be back. 

I really want to ensure that the Handbell events in the region serve our members, so if you have an idea, or things you don’t want to see, please let me know. Currently in the works is our Spring Ring in Claremont on April 2, 2022, and a Ring, Read and Rejoice reading session in August (exact date and place TBD). I know for me getting back into the groove has been a little harder than I thought it would be. I encourage you, if you are struggling or need some help to get back going, please reach out. On another note, if there are any folks with handbell choirs near UCLA we have a ringer that is going to college there and would love to ring. Contact me and I can give you the details.

Also, I discovered a nifty thing as I was working on some future publicity for Vegas. Did you know that our advertisements have hyperlinks to the advertisers’ websites? I did not know that. Just place your cursor over the advertisement and click. There is no need to remember the website address or have to type it in!

Hope your Halloween/All Saints was meaningful and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
ADVERTISEMENT. 12/21
Barbara Walsh
For information on Northern Nevada concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
Howdy!
We had a great time at the Redding festival! It was SO good to be ringing with bell friends we hadn't seen in 2 years! Thanks to Nancy Schmitt and Lois Nichols for working so hard to put on the event and thanks to Tessique Houston for helping us make beautiful music together!

Barb
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2022 Bay Area Spring Ring & Intense Ring
April 29 - 30, 2022
Marquise Usher
For information on Bay Area concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.  
The Bay Area Spring Ring is hosted by Handbell Ventures and is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing.
Hey Bay Area!

More about the upcoming Bay Area Spring Ring (April 30, 2022):

The featured solo concert will be presented by none other than the fabulous Michèle Sharik! In addition to the solo concert, Michèle will perform in the final concert and will teach "Fifty Shades of Damping" in which she encourages us "to bring all of our musical knowledge to the table" when we ring.

Marquise
2022 Spring Ring Repertoire
  • Festive Intrada | Sondra Tucker | Level 3 | G.I.A. Publications, Inc.
  • Amen Siakudumisa | Cathy Moklebust | Level 2 | Choristers Guild
  • Variations on the Doxology | Sondra Tucker, Level 2 | Alfred Music (coming this fall)
  • New Day Fanfare | Sandra Eithun | Level 3 | Alfred Music (coming this fall)
2022 Intense Ring Repertoire
  • Spiritfire | Benjamin Tucker | Level 4 | From the Top
  • Allegro | Felix Mendelssohn, arr. Sondra Tucker | Level 4 | Casa Publications
Area 12 at Distinctly Bronze West 2021
Special thanks to Area 12 member Karna Roa for these amazing photographs.
DBWest 2021 Conductor Beth Judd
All the Area 12 participants, including
eight from your Area 12 Board and
representatives from all three states!
Michèle Sharik (So Cal RC), front and center
Area 12 Events Chair Tessique Houston as
one of her alter egos - wicked bass player!
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/
Area 12 Board
Elected Officers

Chair
Chair Elect
Past Chair
Treasurer

Secretary
We have an open position for
Area 12 Historian. Love scrapbooking? Taking pictures? Learning from and sharing information with other ringers? This might just be the job for you! Contact Kendra if you want to know more about this position.
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