Question
I am posting a bit out of frustration, but not really. Of late, there has been a lot of good (and sometimes REALLY good) new published bell music out there. And almost 3/4ths of them are labeled "level 3" or "level 3+". (By the way, isn't "3+" the same as "4"??)
My bell choir (thanks a lot to a certain MLT person and a piece called "Plink Plank Plunk") are now thoroughly into the grade 3 level, and maybe even the grade 4 level. Trouble is, now that I'm looking at this level, it appears "grade 3" to a publisher seems to be a good excuse to get away with stuff, including blues rhythms, quick measure to measure chromatic changes, and (in one published piece) changing simple/complex rhythms. I have also seen obviously simpler quarter note/eighth note pieces with few bell changes listed as level 3.
Has anybody else noticed this? Or am I misunderstanding what level three is?
R. Scott White, Music Director
Union Congregational Church (North Parish ringers)
No. Reading, MA
Answer
You are definitely not alone. Ratings on newer pieces tend to under-estimate difficulty in many cases. Sometimes music rated 3+, which you may think your group should be able to manage really struggles with it; taking WAY more preparation than expected. Sometimes you pull out some older level 4 pieces that are played without much difficulty.
The leveling has changed through the years, so older music may not be leveled by the current standards. The music difficulty levels published by AGEHR are a guideline. Knowing what your ringers can handle and matching the music to their skills is the key to success. Refer to: http://www.agehr.org/agehr_pub/musicdifflevel.aspQuestion
What’s the best fundraiser you have held?
Answer
Ring Of Fire's best fundraiser over the years was the annual pie make (not bake). In a nut shell: We use a basic, yet amazing apple pie recipe for mass production. (I'm happy to share that and the proportions necessary to do the math for mass production - just email me at jason.wells@flhosp.org)
We package the apple pies ready for freezing - they keep amazingly well for over a year. (I was skeptical at first as well...)
After the first year, people end up usually buying 5+ pies and using them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any time when they want a "fresh" apple pie for dinner without the hassle.
Perhaps photos best set up the process: http://www.rof.org/scrapbook/sb0102/pies/
Rules of engagement:
Rule #1: Each of the 13 members of ROF were required to sign up 4 helpers (in addition to themselves for the day); usually ended up being parents, grandparents, and friends from school/church. That gave us a crew of around 50 people for the adventure.
Rule #2: Each of the 13 members of ROF were encouraged to "move" 30 pies each. The first year this meant hitting up office co-workers, church family, parents of friends, etc. This gave us a base of about 400 pies...
Rule #3: All pies must be picked up (or delivered) on the day of the pie make. We did not attempt to freeze pies for people - they must take home to their own freezers the day of the pie make.
Our first year we pre-sold 440 and made 450 pies. Our second year we jumped to 800 pies pre-sold. Our third year we capped the selling at 1,000 pies.(Just couldn't make any more in 1 crazy day).
For the last 5 years we did this adventure, we turned people away and orders were coming in well before Thanksgiving. By the second year of this program - you will have a tradition built (and people will usually double their order size) - and you'll have a solid fundraiser that sets the stage for your entire year.
We charged $7 a pie our first year, and $8 a pie by the last year. We had $1,200 in supply expenses (first year most supplies were donated, but by the last year - we were outright buying all the supplies - too much time was spent trying to secure donations...)
With $1,200 in expenses, and $8,000 in gross sales - it made for a solid $6,800 day. But finances aside - this was the very best way for ROF families to bond - accomplishing the feat of 1,000 pies in a day is a bonding experience second to none.
With a crew of 50 people - 1 BOSCH or similar mixer - a pile of rolling pins, apple peelers, and 10 inch deep pie tins from Cash and Carry - you'll be all set for 8 hours of fun. (We'd start at 7:30am and would be cleaned up by 3pm)
Please feel free to email and I'll be happy to share more details if you are ready for this adventure.
You'd have little problem making the $1,500 necessary for the bells!
I recommend using one of the weekend days of November 22/23 to do this. People can then use the pies for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas!
(Final recommendation is to avoid the urge to get into pumpkin pies or other exotic options - keep it simple - and no baking...)
Go for it!
Jason Wells
Ring Of Fire
Question
Have you ever wished there was a radio station or TV show that talked only about handbells? Do you wish there was a place you could go for current information on concerts, techniques, and news from the handbell world? What if it was available for download off the Internet so you could listen whenever you wanted to? And what if it was it easy? And automatic? And free?
Answer
A: Welcome to the Handbell Podcast, a place where handbell enthusiasts get together to talk about everything handbells. You may have heard the term ‘podcast’, but did know that you don't need an iPod to listen? You can listen on your computer, burn the show to a CD, use any kind of MP3 player, or just listen live. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. It’s easier than you could possibly imagine!
The hosts, Dean Jensen and Paul Weller, create two shows each week filled with handbell related content: interviews with clinicians, publishers, composers and other people from the handbell community; music reviews; education segments; e-mails from the listeners and discussions about different handbell topics. The content of each show is driven by the comments and requests of the listeners. The Handbell Podcast strives to promote the great community surrounding our wonderful instrument! People from around the world are getting together to talk about handbells, and you should be one of them!
How do you get involved and listen? The first thing is to visit the show’s website, www.handbellpodcast.com. Here you will find a listing of each show, complete with show notes, important links, direct download, subscription buttons and much more. On this site you will also find links to our community site, podcast store, iTunes, and other handbell related places. If you would like to automatically receive the show each week, it's as simple as downloading and installing the iTunes software from www.apple.com and doing a search for handbells in the iTunes Store (but don’t worry, the Handbell Podcast really is free, which you’ll clearly see when it appears). Once you have found the show, click on the subscribe button. Each time you open iTunes, it will check for any new shows and automatically download them for you. Once downloaded, you can listen on your computer, burn the show to a CD, or transfer to any MP3 player.
Recently the Handbell Podcast began broadcasting live on the Internet through the website www.talkshoe.com. The Handbell Podcast is recorded live each week, and listeners are encouraged to call in to TalkShoe, and/or participate in the online chatrooms during the recordings. You can find the live version of the show at www.talkshoe.com.
If you would like more information or have questions/problems with finding the show, you can email the Handbell Podcast at handbellPodcast@gmail.com. Dean and Paul hope you check out the show, and join them each week as we grow the community and keep the conversations going!
Question
Our congregation is currently finishing a building project and will be moving into that facility later this month. Soon after that we’ll have a dedicatory service and I would really love to use handbells as part of the processional. I’d like to be able to use as many ringers as possible which means what was rung would need to either be along the form of random ringing or something very, very simple as we won’t have loads of time to prepare and we have all ages and abilities involved in our handbell ministry. I keep feeling stuck as to where to look for ideas for something like this. Can you give me some ideas on where to look, who I might talk to, or even some ideas on what to use?
Kathy Schlecht
Director of Worship and Music Ministries
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Loveland, CO
Answer
Good question, Kathy! 'Layered processionals' might be the most useful in this situation. Layering is where the bass line plays 4 or 8 meas., then the ' tenor ' line enters on top of the bass, and so on. You can use as many people on a part as you have and each part can repeat their line as many times as needed to get to the correct location, each part can then fade out, too if you like. They're very versatile, quick to learn, and are just patterns to memorize. You might even want to choose one in a particular key to match the hymn that follows or just rewrite it in the key you need. Try these:
Processional and Bell Chime; 16-17 bells; FC,tamb; CG; Tucker, M
Royal Bronze; 13-23 bells; within 3 Processionals for Chimes & Bells; NMP; Downey
Joyful Noise; 17-27 bells; opt HC, Kb, CI; within 3 Processionals for Chimes & Bells; NMP;Downey
Ringing Tradition; 17-24 bells; within 3 Processionals for Chimes & Bells; NMP; Downey
Time to Rejoice; 15 bells; 13 HC; Psaltry; Frier
Processional in D; 19 bells; within Processionals for HBs; Broadman; Semmann
Processional in G; 21 bells; within Processionals for HBs; Broadman; Semmann
Processional in Eb; 20 bells; within Processionals for HBs; Broadman; Semmann
Processional in C; 20 bells; within Processionals for HBs; Broadman; Semmann
Hyfrydol; 15-18 bells; within Hymnworks for HBs & HCs; AMSI; Zinsmeister
How Can I Keep From Singing; 11-21 bells; within Hymnworks for HBs & HCs; AMSI; Zinsmeister
All Creatures of Our God and King; 32-33 bells; within Hymn Fanfares and Flourishes for HBs; Lorenz; Sloan