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Area 12 Chair Kendra Symonds is enjoying the recent birth of her first child (Oscar!), and will return to writing her monthly column soon. |
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A new handbell adventure coming in August! |
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Saturday, August 14, 2021
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Come spend the day with a panoply of teachers, learning strategies and techniques to improve your ringing skills for all types of musical experiences—solo or ensemble. Teachers confirmed for this event are Christine Anderson, Gail Berg, Barbara Brocker, Kathie Fink, P.L. Grove, KatRyn Howell, Linda Krantz, Beth Mays, Carol Pickford, Michèle Sharik, Cyndi Tully, Marquise Usher, and Cheryl Woldseth.
As part of this event, registrants have the option to apply to participate in a live lesson via Zoom that will be streamed on the day of the event to all who are in attendance. Space is extremely limited and is on a first come first serve basis.
Registrants are invited to pre-submit videos for a Master Class where a panel will offer feedback. Live lesson participants who are accepted to receive lessons or participate in the Master Class will pay an additional $25.
Registration: $40 for the day/$65 for non-guild members
+ additional $25 for each lesson or Master Class session.
Basic Schedule:
- 10-1:30 Classes with options for one-on-one mini-lessons
- 1:30-2:00 LUNCH
- 2:00-3:30 Roundtable classes with question and answer sessions
- 3:45-4:45 Master Class - pre-submitted videos with panel feedback
Registration is NOW OPEN! More information available on our website.
This festival is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America.
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Area 12 Bell Table Talk is on Summer Break! |
We have had such a great time staying connected with each other through our Bell Table Talks. We are going to take a summer hiatus, but.....we will be back! Look for announcements in August about our returning schedule and topics. We will start focusing our talks around the upcoming Area 12 Conference in Las Vegas, July 2-5, 2022.
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Area 12 Bell Table Talk Will Be at National Seminar
This year's National Seminar is featuring a new concept, Handbell Commons. The intent is to have one place for people to congregate and mingle. Area 12 will have a table in Handbell Commons to share all the good things we do here in Area 12. We will be featuring upcoming events (in person and virtual workshops, as well as live streamed concerts, etc.), general information about groups in Area 12 and goodies.
If your group would like to share information at the Area 12 table, please contact Sharon Guilliams at lametro.area12@handbellmusicians.org so that we can coordinate getting the materials to the seminar.
If you are going to National Seminar and are from Area 12, come to Area 12's Bell Table and let's talk. In addition, you can get your exclusive Area 12 gift!
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Spring 2021 Update
The Area 12 Board welcomes Andrew Scher as our Social Media Liaison. Among other things, Andrew will be working to get all our events and reminders on our social media platforms, including Facebook.
On a different note, the board sends a big thank you to Christine Anderson as she retires as Central CA Regional Coordinator. A replacement for Christine is being sought. Recommendations from the Area 12 community would be gratefully appreciated.
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The Area 12 board looks forward to getting back to ringing in-person this summer as COVID restrictions are lifted. Many of your board members plan to attend the Handbell Musicians of America (HMA) National Seminar in Phoenix this July. We hope to see you there! Area 12 will have a table at National Seminar showcasing events and groups in our area. Included at the table will be information about our postponed conference in Las Vegas, which is now happening next summer, July 2022. Please stop by the table for additional details on that as well as details on our planned fall and spring events.
Over the past several months the board has been working hard on updating some of our governing documents (Rules of Procedure) as it had been a while since they were thoroughly reviewed. The documents needed updates for things we have never had to consider – like a pandemic shutting down our ability for in-person meetings for a whole year. We also need to update them in light of updates to National and Area 12 Bylaws over the last couple years. A big thank you to Sharon Guilliams for spearheading the ROP update project. We are extremely grateful for the ability to easily communicate online to keep our responsibilities moving forward.
The Board is already looking ahead toward the 2024 Area 12 conference and is currently investigating five possible locations. The venue for 2024 will be announced at our 2022 Las Vegas conference.
If you haven’t renewed your HMA membership, we ask you to consider doing so today. The National Board, and the Area 12 Board, count on the funding from your memberships to keep our organizations going and to be able to plan and support the events that happen in your area. As in-person events start returning to our calendars, we hope you’re looking forward to the organized handbell events in your area.
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to submit your event
for listing! (and get a social media push!)
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The National Guild has changed the way they do renewals, so be sure to check out all the membership options and benefits HERE.
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Want to place a classified ad?
Click on the
WANTED sign and
fill out the form!
Check out our Classified Ads
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Order through Amazon? Make your purchases count when you shop AmazonSmile and select Area 12 as your nonprofit. |
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For information on Northern California concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.
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This festival is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America.
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Redding Handbell Festival
Saturday October 16, 2021
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CrossPointe Community Church
Redding, CA
Massed Ringing, Classes, Closing Concert
Registration fee of $35.00 per participant.
Massed Director: Tessique Houston
Red Zone Director: Barb Walsh
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One of the classes being offered is BELL TREE FOREST presented by Julie Hunziker. Instead of one bell tree there will be a forest of bell trees! Participants will join together to rehearse the bell tree arrangement of “Tis a Gift To Be Simple” to play in the closing concert. Music MUST be learned ahead of time. Practice music is available on request. Contact Julie Hunziker at jbhunziker@gmail.com for more information. Pre-festival registration is advised in order for communication and adequate preparation.
Pre-requisite: Know “Tis a Gift To Be Simple” bell tree arrangement by Barbara Brocker, Tree-O 107
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Festival registration forms are available on the Area 12 calendar. |
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A banquet of singing, dancing and marching music beginning at the royal court of Portugal—continuing through multi-cultural Spain, impressionistic France, Baroque Germany, folk-song Romania, nut-gathering maidens in Greece and the Janissaries of Turkey—culminating with the Khans of the great Eurasian steppe, all knit together with visual interludes on the historical background of the music including segments from the Sonos documentary film, “Heart of a Bell.” The program also includes Artistic Director James Meredith's "3 Mostly Etudes" (2020) for handbells/handchimes, exploring three technical aspects of the medium.
Admission is free for the concerts in Palo Alto, California; Dana Point, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada. National Seminar Concert admission is $10. We can't wait to see you!
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For information on LA Metro's concerts, events,
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Happy June – LA Metro
I hope all is well with you and your family. I do not know about you, but I am getting back into the swing of things, actually planning concerts, workshops, spring rings, etc. A few neurons in my brain have been asleep for 12 months and they are resisting waking up. My ringing skills also got an awaking in May when five people from my community group and I rallied in my garage at 6:00 am (yes, I said AM) to join Area 1 for their Ringer Reunion. It was fun to ring full 5-octave music together. I originally signed up for C4-D4 to awaken my bass bell ringing, but I just could not help myself; I ended up ringing G3-D4. I guess my bell hog neurons were ready to wake up. I do love doing chromatic whole note runs going down. What did go away though was the calluses on the top of my thumb. Thirty minutes in, I knew I better put something on my thumb, or it was not going to be pretty.
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I do hope that whether you are a ringer or a director that you are looking forward to the fall ringing season or perhaps even something this summer. For the fall LA Metro is putting on Bell Jubilee – A workshop to get back into the swing of ringing. Christian Guebert is our primary clinician and members of LA Bronze and St John’s Cathedral Bells will be assisting/participating. The first workshop will be on October 16th up in LA and the second workshop will be on October 30th in Orange County, and if you cannot physically make it to either one, the workshop on the 30th will be available virtually. Bell Jubilee is a great way to hone/refresh your ringing skills while ringing next to and learning from some awesome ringers. It is also a great way to make music. Please consider adding this to your group’s fall schedule. You won’t regret it. For the in-person event you don’t have to bring anything and there is no music to prepare ahead of time, just show up. For the virtual event you will need to purchase the music and have your own bells.
You can get more information at:
Have a great summer and if you need anything, just holler, we are here to help.
Sharon
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For information on Southern California concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.
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Hey there, SoCal --
It's June, and you know what that means, right? It means that it'll soon be summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime!
Now that things are beginning to re-open, are you planning some handbell activities for this summer? Perhaps holding a "handbell choir reunion" cook-out? or maybe hosting a workshop to "brush up on the basics" before resuming rehearsals this fall?
I do hope that you and your group will consider participating in some of the great opportunities provided by both Area 12 and the national Guild. There are concerts scheduled for this summer and fall, as well as workshops for all ages and levels of handbell musicians. Area 12 is blessed to be the home of not only some of the country's best performing ensembles, but also some of the best handbell teachers. Our performers and teachers are itching to get back to it—I certainly am!—so I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities.
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(I'm especially looking forward to the "One and Then Some" virtual solo/ensemble event coming up in August!)
Our national organization also has some wonderful options. Their list is here:
As always, please let me know what your group is doing this summer & fall.
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For information on Bay Area concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.
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Hey Bay Area!
Some of your groups may be low on members because of the recent pandemic. And recruiting can be challenging in the best of circumstances. Start spreading the word now! Make a list of folks you might want to ask to play in your church choir in the Fall. Maybe they don't want to ring but know of someone who would. Is there a drummer in your cul-de-sac? Invite them to a rehearsal and entice them with an awesome mallet piece! Recruit early and recruit often!
Marquise
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A full-service handbell store
with music and accessories:
gloves • gifts
maintenance items
mallets • binders
bell tree items
Malmark products
visit us at
612-208-1741
877-426-3235
7209 Morgan Ave S
Richfield, MN 55423
6/22
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For information on Northern Nevada concerts, events, and other opportunities, click here.
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Howdy!
For this month's problem solving discussion, I thought we should try the opposite of last month's; what can I do if my ringers rush?
Sometimes we rush when we're anxious or tense and our nerves get the better of us. Being well-rehearsed helps us to be prepared which instills confidence. All of that equals better focus and less tension. Have you ever noticed yourself holding your breath when you tense up? Remind your ringers and yourself to breathe. Not quick, shallow breaths, but normal, somewhat deep breaths.
Most of the time with longer notes, we rush because we're not subdividing the beat. I mentioned this in last month's article as a solution for slowing down as well. Subdividing is key for just about everything in music!
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One other trick for not rushing is to fill up the space physically. When playing a whole note for instance, make a big, beautiful circle. When playing quarter notes, "ladder" your notes in that same whole note arc.
Along with the idea of filling up space, short articulations such as thumb damps, marts, and mallets tend to rush because sound isn't "filling up" the space between the notes. Make your ringers and yourself aware of the rests whether written out or not. The silence is just as important in the music as the sound, so don't rush through it.
If you have other solutions or suggestions, let me know and I'll share them!
Barb
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Our National Organization (click logos to get more info!) |
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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.
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Payment is due before 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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Elected Officers
Chair
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Chair Elect
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Past Chair
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Treasurer
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Secretary
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We have an open position in the Central California Area for a Regional Coordinator. Do you have a passion for handbells, are good at details, and enjoy connecting with people? Are you interested, but not sure what a Regional Coordinator does? Contact any of our RCs for more info! Click on any name for an e-mail link. |
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Appointed Officers
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Regional Coordinators
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Southern Nevada
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