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Message from the Chair - Tessique Houston
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Hello Area 12!
At the end of this month, your Area 12 Board of Directors will be having our semi-annual meeting. We will be meeting to discuss all the ways we can serve you, the members of Area 12.
I know many of you visit the Area 12 website for information on concerts and events. And right there, at the top on the "About Us" tab, is our mission statement.
The mission of Area 12 of the Handbell Musicians of America or The Guild (formerly known as American Guild of English Handbell Ringers or AGEHR) is to educate, motivate and nurture fellowship, joy and excellence in handbell and handchime music. The primary objectives of the organization are to educate and to promote the exchange of ideas relating to handbell and handchime ringing and to sponsor educational activities (excluding direct competition between choirs, ensembles and/or ringers).
We read this at the start of each board meeting to help us remain focused on our mission and make sure all our decisions are based on achieving this. Then we get to work!
We will be welcoming Debbie Shaw to the position of Events Director. I am really looking forward to working with Debbie on developing great events for Area 12!
We will also be discussing such exciting and fun topics as future Area 12 biennial conferences, local spring rings and other ringer events, starting (or restarting!) the annual Area 12 Director Workshop, and dreaming about the possibility of offering certification events in Area 12.
As we are in the business of handbells, we also have to discuss the not so fun topics of finances, by-laws, and procedural rules for running our organization. These are the things that keep us going so we can fulfill our mission.
This leads us to ways YOU can be involved. Any member of Area 12 is welcome to attend the board meetings, they are open meetings. But we understand that is not an easy thing to do. An easier alternative is to contact a member of the board and ask them to pass along your input. Your regional coordinators are there for you and they would gladly take anything you have to contribute to the meeting. You are also welcome to email any of the Elected Officers or Appointed Officers if you feel one could better address your contribution - we are ALL here for you!
I am excited to be meeting soon with the members of the Area 12 Board and I'm looking forward to all of our discussions. I will share the results with you next month!
P.S. Our Area 12 board meeting is April 22nd and 23rd in Southern California. If you want to join us to listen or have thoughts to send along, please contact your regional coordinator!
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Communiqué - Barbara Meinke, Communications
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San Francisco Bay - Kendra Scott, Regional Coordinator
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Hi Bay Area,
If you're like me, you know publicity is super important to getting a great turnout for your spring concert. If you're like me, publicity isn't your favorite thing to work on. So what's to be done? Most of us don't have the luxury of working in the field of handbells as our 9-5 weekday job and we're often too busy at work or too wiped out at the end of the day to fit it in. So here are some ideas to help you out!
- Set deadlines early and often.
- Get a partner to help you or offer words of encouragement.
- Do a little at a time. Break up the work into manageable chunks.
- Get your choir involved! You never know who's got a job in marketing or who has excellent computer graphics skills until you ask.
- Provide concert posters to local churches and schools in the area that have bell choirs or ask them to include you in their weekly bulletin.
- Send your concert info to us so we can put it on the Events calendar!
- Contact local (and often free) arts newsletters or online publications. Just Google!
- Create a Facebook page for your group and post an event!
- Share your event on Area 12's Facebook page.
- Post to Twitter or Instagram.
And DON'T FORGET:
The Bay Area Spring Ring is fast upon us! Come to Valley Church in Cupertino on April 29th!
It's not too late to register! Groups and individual ringers all welcome!
Spots are still open for the Intense Ring Friday evening!
On the fence? Just do it!
Catch the fabulous noontime concert featuring Kathie Fink!
Join us for the Spring Ring Concert at 6 pm on Saturday! Tell your friends!
Want to enrich your directing skills? Sign up for the Director's Workshop in Concord Sunday!
Click on the blue Title below for all the details and forms!
and Director's Workshop
April 2
8
, 29, and 30, 2017
Valley Church, Cupertino CA
This event is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America
Kendra Scott
Bay Area Regional Coordinator
For information on San Francisco
Bay Area's concerts, events,
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Southern CA - Michèle Sharik, Regional Coordinator
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Hey there, my SoCal peeps -
They say April showers bring May flowers, but here in the handbell world, they also bring Spring Rings!
Our very own SoCal Spring Ring will be here soon - it's Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29 in Oceanside and our clinician is the amazingly talented and incredibly funny Stevie Berryman. Registration is "cafeteria style," so you can choose between "Bronze Vision plus massed ringing," "Classes plus massed ringing," or "Massed ringing only." How's that for options? Click on the blue link below and get the registration forms. You can attend as an individual or as part of a group. You don't want to miss this!
Don't forget to either send me
your spring concert info, or enter it into our calendar yourself by going to our Submit Your Event page.
April 28-29, 2017
St. Thomas More Catholic Church
Oceanside, CA
This event is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America
See you soon in Oceanside!
Michèle Sharik
For information on Southern California's concerts,
events,
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Northern NV - Barb Walsh, Regional Coordinator
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Howdy!
Our 15th Annual Sierra Spring Ring will be happening on
May 20th in Reno, NV. In addition to the two massed ringing pieces ("Acclamation in G Minor" by Karen Thompson and "Little One" by Jason Krug), Tintabulations will be teaching classes that include bell techniques, rhythm, bell maintenance, making the most of your rehearsals, and team building. All this for only $15! Individuals, partial ensembles and whole ensembles are welcome.
15th Annual
Sierra Spring Ring
May 20, 2017
Marvin Picollo School
Reno, NV
This event is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America
AND
Umpteenth Annual
Young Ringers' Festival
$1 per student
The students will perform a processional and one massed piece. In addition, each ensemble is encouraged to share a solo piece.
This event is sponsored by Handbell Musicians of America
Please contact me at my email address below or call 775-677-8117 for more information on either of these events.
Barbara Walsh
Northern Nevada Regional Coordinator
For information on Northern Nevada's concerts, events,
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Northern CA - Nancy Schmitt, Regional Coordinator
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Hello Northern California,
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2017
SIMPSON UNIVERSITY
REDDING, CA
Massed Director: Mary Balkow
Red Zone Bronze Director: Barb Walsh
Massed Repertoire
Fanfare Festiva (Barbara Werner)
Simple Dance (arr. Michael Glasgow)
Siyahamba (Hal Hopson)
Mary Did You Know (arr. Anna Laura Page)
A Mighty Fortress is Our God (arr. Cathy Moklebust)
This event is endorsed by Handbell Musicians of America.
Happy Spring,
Northern California Regional Coordinator
For information on Northern California's concerts, events,
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LA Metro - F. Thomas Simpson, Regional Coordinator
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Please allow me to introduce myself!
I have been involved in handbells now for over 40 years - yes, I started as a mere child! From those first experiences in 4th grade in the 70's, to playing in the first professional college choir in the 80's, various church positions in the 90's and 2000's until now with my church and community groups, I have seen handbells bring people together to fulfill The Guild's motto: Uniting People Though a Musical Art. Just this past weekend over 80 people came together in Pasadena for a concert of choirs from around the LA Metro area. I am thrilled to see handbells are thriving here - but know we still have a lot of work to do!
Are you in a local choir and need help? Have you always wanted to attend a festival? Do you have bells hidden away in some dark church closet just longing to be rung again? WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
And as your new LA Metro rep, I am here to help you help yourself. Please reach out to me about any needs you may have!
F. Thomas Simpson
For information on LA Metro's concerts, events,
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Central CA - Christine Anderson, Regional Coordinator
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What's up, CenCal?
Send me YOUR news!
Central California Regional Coordinator
For information on Central California's concerts, events,
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Southern NV - Alison Pruett, Regional Coordinator
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What's up, Las Vegas?
Send me YOUR news!
Alison Pruett
Southern Nevada Regional Coordinator
For information on Southern Nevada's concerts, events,
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Hawaii - Karen Carlisle, Regional Coordinator
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