FORTÉ HANDBELL WORKSHOP
TRACK A: Laying the Foundation
How do handbells work? Where do I start if I want to become a ringer? Designed for novice ringers, this track will introduce new handbell musicians to the instrument, beginning with plenty of practice with the most basic actions, then adding other techniques and handbell-specific music-reading skills. By the end of the day, we will be playing published handbell music together.
Session 0: Basic Music Reading Review (optional)
Haven't read music in a while? This pre-workshop refresher session will briefly cover the basics of music reading like the staff, clefs, barlines, time signatures, key signatures, beats, note values, pitches, accidentals, and rests. This foundation prepares participants for the tracks, which will focus on building handbell-specific skills.
Session 1: Warm-Ups (with Track B and Track C)
Getting ready to ring any instrument involves getting the body and mind activated and prepared. Warming up also allows us to practice the building blocks of technique (often in an exaggerated way) before we have to call upon them in a piece of music. Whether a veteran or a newbie, everyone can benefit from thoughtful preparation. In this first class of the day, we'll go through some stretches, motions, and coordination games to show some ways to get both the mind and the body prepared for a day of ringing!
Session 2: Basic Ringing and Damping
Description: Approaching handbells can be intimidating! Where do you hold them? How do they work? What’s with all the foam on the tables? In this class we’ll take a look at the basic equipment and motions for playing this unique instrument. We will also explore how printed music shows us what to do.
Session 3: Level 1 Music Reading Session
You've learned how to ring a bell! What next? In this class, we'll put those basic ringing and music reading skills to use as we learn how to play Level 1 handbell music together.
Session 4: Bell Switches, Passes, and Basic Weaves
What is a flat? What is a sharp? Why is everything “accidental”? Most importantly, what do I do when I need to change from one bell to a different one? In this class we'll enter the world of bell changes, both the mechanics of making them happen and the notations telling us we need to make a switch.
Session 5: Intro to Other Techniques
One of the greatest features of handbells is the vast array of different sounds we can create with the instrument: short, long, loud, soft, harsh – handbells can do it all! In this class, we’ll review and learn the basic techniques, and then we will look into various ways to make other sounds with the instrument.
Session 6: Level 1+/2- Music Reading Session
Even after learning how to ring and use various techniques on the handbells, it can be helpful to play real music incorporating those techniques in order to solidify them in context. In this session, we will take a plunge into some slightly more advanced music to see how we can approach some of the difficulties that arise with early Level 2 music.
Session 7: Massed Ring and Review (with Track B and Track C)
In our final session for the day, we will read music together, putting all of the skills we've worked on during the day to use! We'll look at music that we can make the most of visually and technically. Some ringers may have the opportunity to observe instead of ring for particular pieces, allowing them to see the application of concepts on pieces they may not yet be ready to play themselves.
Track B: Strengthening the Skillset