Area 12 Conference Committees are hard at work preparing two different conferences in 2024! Please save these dates: June 20-22, 2024 for “Go Nuts with Area 12 in Modesto” with Barbara Meinke as the clinician, and September 27-28, 2024 “Bellz! the Next Generation” Youth Conference with Tim Waugh as the clinician. 

Do you have a great idea for classes at “Go Nuts with Area 12 in Modesto”? There is a call for classes for ringers and/or directors. Email your proposals and/or suggestions to Michèle Sharik at ChairElect.Area12@HandbellMusicians.org.

Your board members are here for you! Please feel free to reach out to any of us.

Your Area 12 Website

Massed Music: 

                           Festival Intrada by Jeffrey Honore; AG35254, 3-5 Octaves

                           Siyahamba by Hal H. Hopson; Code 1869, 3-5 Octaves

                           Air and Hornpipe by Sondra K. Tucker; NMHB673, 3-5 Octaves

                           On The Road Again arr. by Tammy Waldrop; RRBL5101, 3-5 Octaves

Red Zone Song: SWAY, by Pablo Beltran Ruiz, arr. by Sandra Eithun

Classes: Basic Bell Trees, Change Ringing on the Bell Tree, Revving Up for the Red Zone Bronze Choir (dare to challenge yourself with this class with lots of hands on help), Score Marking for Success for Ringers and Directors, Anything But Ringing (Notation Class), and Reading Session of New Music that can be purchased on site.

Clinicians: Mary Balkow, Ellie Hodder, Julie Hunziker, Keith Mockford, and Barb Walsh

Closing Concert open to the public: 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Full choirs as well as individual ringers are welcome. What a great way to begin your fall ringing by attending this fall festival. Make new friends and see old friends; have fun; and stock up on bell merchandise provided by Jeffers Handbell Supply. Hope to see you in October!

Registration forms are available on the Area 12

calendar or by clicking the button above.

A full-service handbell store

with music and accessories:

gloves • gifts

maintenance items

mallets • binders

bell tree items

Malmark products

visit us at

www.heitzhandbells.com

612-208-1741

877-426-3235



heitzhandbells@yahoo.com

7209 Morgan Ave S Richfield, MN 55423

ADVERTISEMENT 6/23

The 12th Night Handbell Festival is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America, dedicated to uniting people through the musical art of handbell and handchime ringing. www.handbellmusicians.org

Backwards Planning for a Concert

14 weeks out

• Present narrowed down theme ideas, discussion with group.
• Present narrowed down music selections (15-16 pieces) and play through them to see which ones will take too much time/don’t fit and which ones are a must have.  
• Work on sight reading skills.

13 weeks out

• Theme decided
• Test out the 10-12 pieces selected.
• Make bell assignments for those pieces prior to rehearsal. 
• If marking music for them, do prior to rehearsal.
• Have note cards available for ringers to write down bell assignments.

12 weeks out

• Confirm pieces and assignments.  
• Have problem solvers ready, especially if music hasn’t been marked.
• Begin woodshedding the hardest parts of the “easier pieces” and then put together and play whole pieces.
• Play through and/or work on sections of the harder pieces.
• Encourage musicality and looking up from the beginning.  
• Start assigning weekly homework.
• Make music scores and recordings available for homework.

11 weeks out

• Check progress of problem solvers on the “easier” pieces at tempo. If they’re not working, find a different solution.  
• Begin woodshedding the hardest parts of the harder pieces and then put together and play whole pieces.

10 weeks out

• Check progress of problem solvers on the “harder” pieces at tempo. If they’re not working, diagnose and start trying different solutions.  
• Start having ringers memorize their beginning entrances.  
• As the conductor, begin memorizing large portions of each piece.

9 weeks out

• Have a proposed concert order and try it. Adjust as needed.  
• Have artwork ready for programs and flyer.  
• Have narrations between pieces completed.  
• Check all problem solvers at tempo. Diagnose and try other solutions, if needed.

8 weeks out

• Run and confirm concert order. Try narrations between the pieces to check for timing.  
• Have drafts ready for programs and flyers.  
• Concert venue(s) confirmed.  
• Start having ringers memorize the endings.

7 weeks out

• Submit programs and flyers for printing.  
• Begin advertising concert(s).  
• Do a tech concert run-through with narrations to confirm equipment needed at each folder for the entire concert. We use Post It notes at each folder to write down mallets, singing sticks, duplicate bells, out of the ordinary bell/chime assignments, etc. This helps get rid of extra equipment on/under the tables and with set up.  The more ringers move to other assignments and/or have complicated set-ups, the more important it is for the ringers to have their own Post Its on the first page of each piece of music for their set-up. 

6 weeks out

• Continue practicing problem areas and polishing pieces.  
• If the ringers continue to have problems with phrasing and musicality, invent a story using plenty of descriptors.  
• Continue memorizing the beginning, end and tempo change sections.  
• In sections that have no tempo changes, start walking away from them to see how they do as an ensemble without a conductor.  
• After rehearsing sections, do complete concert run-through

5 weeks out

• Set up tables in concert formation.  If rehearsal has been in concert formation, then change it up.  
• Play “Drop the Needle” to see if lost ringers can get found again.  
• After rehearsing sections, do complete concert run-through.  
• Tell ensemble about video recording of them next week.

4 weeks out

• After rehearsing, record your concert run-through.  
• As the conductor, watch and write down comments/pointers before the next rehearsal. This is also a good opportunity for the conductor to watch themselves!  
•  Prepare your rehearsal plans based on your viewing.

3 weeks out

• Have a watch party of your video. Be prepared to make comments during the viewing and perhaps have the ringers contribute.  
• Rehearse based on what you saw in the video.  
• There probably won’t be time to do a full run-through, so play the beginning and end of each piece along with the narrations. This is a good opportunity to be more efficient with set ups.

2 weeks out

• Have plans and share them with your ringers for moving equipment, setting up, schedule, attire, drivers, greeting audience members, bowing, after concert pack up and load in, etc.  
• Rehearse problem areas and whole pieces.  
• Video record the run-through again.  
• Send out video for homework.

1 week out

• Discuss video.  
• Rehearse problem areas and whole pieces.  
• Do a concert run-through.  
• Review concert information.
• Possibly load up equipment vehicles.

Concert Day

• Relax and enjoy!