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Volume 16 • Issue 5 • Fall 2023
You are the Magic!
Hello to all the amazing Bell Ringers and Directors in Area 11. You are an impressive group that is doing much good in bringing quality bell ringing to our area. As a board, we want to provide the best events to help you improve and teach a variety of handbell technique. We just had the Fall Tune-up in all the states. It was very well attended in Utah and had some attendance in Arizona and New Mexico. We hope to continue to grow the event in all states as it is a chance to come together just as choirs resume rehearsals and students are back in school for the fall. Mark your calendars for next year! Fall Tune-up will be on the second Saturday of September. We love getting together in community and working to improve our skills in the art of handbell ringing.
To start the fall season, the board met in August with a three-day planning meeting in Salt Lake City. It was so refreshing for us to meet in person rather than our usually monthly virtual forum. We went through all our intended activities for the year and set our plans for Area 11 events. We reviewed and updated the Rules of Procedure and took a look at our current Bylaws. If you’re interested, these are found on the Area 11 Website.
We also toured and enjoyed a luncheon at the Hilton SLC Center Hotel where the Ringing Up! Festival of June 2024 will be held. It will be a wonderful festival in exciting downtown SLC. Please plan to join us then. Registration is now open! Contact Anne Kleve, the Event Chair if you have any questions.
I hope you are finding more ringers to join you and your ensembles are continuing to grow. When I was teaching school, I never turned down a potential ringer, we just purchased more bells and doubled bells in the middle registers. The best part is you always have people ready to take over if needed.
Several years ago, I stopped using substitutes and just included as many ringers as I could in the Bells at Temple Square. We no longer had to worry about the music being new or too challenging for subs because that would take away from the rehearsal. If they are always there, they are officially part of the choir and if they play on extra bells, then they can easily move into another spot if needed.
LeAnna Willmore
Chair, Area 11
Registration Now Open!
Click Here or on the flyer below.
Contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
Area 11 Bulletin Board
Have an concert or event planned for the upcoming Holidays? Our next newsletter goes out on Decembert 1st.
Submit your Bulletin Board Here.
Malmark Chimes for Sale - Arizona
Director Position P/T - Scottsdale, AZ
North Scottsdale United Methodist Church located at 11735 N. Scottsdale Rd. is seeking a part-time Handbell Director for their Adult Bell Choir.
September-May with rehearsals on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The Bell choir plays once per month during worship and for special services throughout the year (i.e. Christmas Eve).
5+ octaves of Malmark bells, 3 octaves hand chimes, and extensive handbell music library.
Salary commensurate with experience. If interested, please contact Darin Read, Director of Music at [email protected]
Falling with the Changes
Fall is full of changes. From the weather cooling down to the leaves falling and changing color, there’s drastic changes! Change can be very exciting, but it can also be scary. I used to be afraid of change until I realized the possibilities and opportunities it brings. This year is full of changes for our Area. We changed the name and format of our Fall Workshop from “Ringers Round-Up” to “Fall Tune-Up”. We also changed the name of our Spring Event from “SuperBell Saturday” to “Sight Reading Saturday”.
We have an Area 11 Anthem, a new national website and it’s also an election year! In the next few months, your Area 11 board is going to start preparing for our upcoming election in the Spring. With the election, a few members of our leadership board will change. All of these are changes are exciting, but they can also be scary.
Just like the seasons, change is inevitable. With changes, it’s up to us to determine how we react and make the most of them. The one thing that will never change in our area, is the connection between our members and our love of handbells. There’s a quote that has really resonated with me lately:
Change is beautiful and can bring wonderful things! The changing season gives us an opportunity to see our world with a new perspective. Your Area 11 Board is trying to make changes to our membership and create a program to connect members from across our states. Before we make this change, we need some feedback from our members. If you can spare a minute of your time, please fill out our Membership Inquiry Form attached below so we can create some great changes in our area!
I think all of these upcoming changes are going to help our area thrive and grow. If you have questions about these changes or want to take part in them, you can reach out to any of our board members and we can give you information for how to help! With this changing season, I hope you take some time to embrace the beautiful in these changes and make the most of this time before the busy holiday season.
Love and Bells,
Anne Kelley
Area 11 Inquiry Form
Our Board of Directors have some exciting programs we’d like to create and we want to gage interest in your needs! Please complete the following form to let us know a little about how we can support you!
Joyfully Ring!
News from National
College Ring-In
January 4-6, 2024
Pennsylvania
Upcoming Board Meetings
October 9 – 7:30pm MDT
Newsletter Archive
Click here to see any of our previous newsletters from 2012-2021.
Articles for Newsletter
Want to share an exciting experience or tips and tricks with our handbell community?
Deadline to add articles for the newsletter is the 25th of the previous month. Articles may be submitted to the Communications Chair in .doc format and with an picture of the author in .jpg format.