13th International Handbell Syposium

workshop & Class Descriptions

August 4-8, 2008

Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
Orlando, Florida U.S.A.

Descriptions in Japanese

Descriptions in Spanish

Descriptions in Korean

 

Classes are offered over five sessions during the Symposium. Session times are:

Session 1 – Monday, August 4, 6:40 PM
Session 2 – Tuesday, August 5, 11:30 AM
Session 3 – Tuesday, August 5, 5:25 PM
Session 4 – Wednesday, August 6, 11:45 AM
Session 5 – Thursday, August 7, 1:40 PM

  Class descriptions

Achieving a Musical Performance	Rick Humphrey
There is so much more to music than just notes.  This workshop will provide concrete examples of the unwritten techniques that a musician would use to achieve a musical line.  Participants will be expected to play bells, so bring your gloves.
Rick Humphrey – an accomplished handbell conductor and clinician from Toronto, Canada, he has been involved in handbells in Ontario for 25 years.  He also represented Canada as Massed Conductor in the Tokyo International Symposium in 1998.
Available Session 1 and Session 3
Advanced Conducting	Toshikazu Yoshida
As well as reviewing the basics of conducting, participants will learn some advanced, practical techniques using simple music.
Toshikazu Yoshida graduated from Toho Gakuen College, majoring in conducting.  Yoshida has been a conductor of Kinjo Gakuin University Handbell Choir since 1987, and has served as a massed conductor and workshop lecturer at various overseas handbell events.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Arranging for Handbells	Martha Lynn Thompson
This class will discuss resources, techniques, and ideas for arranging existing tunes and adapting or transcribing existing compositions for handbell choirs.
Martha Lynn Thompson was the organist at St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1969-2002 and was one of the directors of the church’s fourteen handbell choirs.  Now retired, she directs three of the church’s bell choirs.  She has more than 300 published arrangements and transcriptions.
Available Session 4 and Session 5
B4U Ring	David Davidson
A great deal of preparation needs to precede that first rehearsal. This class will dig into the music looking for the important issues of the music and how to teach them in the beginning rehearsals for immediate and lasting value to the performance. We will also consider ways to enhance the music.
David Davidson is the director of music and arts at Highland park United Methodist Church and the Dallas Symphony Chorus in Dallas, Texas.  David is an accomplished conductor and clinician in both choral and handbell music.  He is a past president of AGEHR and conducts Distinctly Bronze, AGEHR’s event for advanced ringers.  David was instrumental in beginning the International Handbell Symposium.
Available Session 5 only
The Bell Tree Solo – A new Idea in Handbell Ringing	Barbara Brocker
This class will be divided into groups.  Each group will have a bell tree stand, a set of bells, and mallets.  Each group will build their own bell tree setup and individuals in the group will have the opportunity to play portions of a solo.  Appropriate equipment and music options will also be discussed.
Barbara Brocker developed the bell tree solo and has eighteen musical arrangements in publication.  She has been a clinician at the national Solo and Ensemble Extravaganza and has performed a bell tree solo at the AGEHR National Seminar.  Barbara is also the Oregon State Chair of AGEHR Area X.
Available Session 4 and Session 5
Change Ringing on Handbells	Phillip Bedford
The 400 year-old art of change ringing will be explained and attendees will be able to try one of the two main forms of “method” ringing still practiced by handbell change ringers around the world.
Phillip Bedford is an experienced tower and handbell change ringer of long standing.  He was the Inaugural President of the Handbell Society of Australasia, has been a conductor at International Symposium events, and a workshop presenter.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
The Expressive Power of Solo Ringing	Susan Carscadden-Mifsud
Learn how to make solo ringing expressive. As observers, we will focus on interpretation and elements of musicality (tone, phrasing, dynamics) that we hear in the solos presented. A brief time for general questions about solo ringing will be included.
Susan Carscadden-Mifsud had given numerous recitals as a handbell soloist throughout Ontario and has performed at music conferences in Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and at the International Symposium in Toronto.  Susan is a qualified teacher and has led many solo workshops both privately and for provincial and national festivals.
Available Session 3 only
Fascinating Facts About Handbell Ringing	Dr. Alan J. Hartley
A short insight into the history and unusual facts associated with the fascinating world of handbell ringing.  Of great interest to all ringers- and a must for compères and anyone who may be asked to give a talk about our favorite subject.
Dr. Alan J. Hartley is the son of the first Chairman of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain and has served in that role himself for more than ten years.  He has a keen interest in the social history associated with handbell ringing and has presented workshops on competition ringing in the U.K.
Available Session 2 and Session 5
Foundational Conducting Technique I, II, & III	John Hooper
For beginning conductors or veterans who wish to focus on clarity, the workshop will address tempo and meter focusing on down and up beats; preparatory gestures and releases; dynamics and style.  Participation will be invited and a baton is recommended.  This workshop is offered as three stand-alone classes or as a 3-class track.
John Hooper is the director of the School of Music at Concordia University College of Alberta (Canada).  He directs Jubiloso!, an auditioned community concert ensemble which performs using over 200 handbells and handchimes.  He was the Canadian conductor at the International Handbell Symposium in Brisbane, Australia.  Dr. Hooper’s participation is due, in part, to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Available Session 3, Session 4, and Session 5
Handchimes-A Glorious Addition to the Handbell Program	David Ruder
This workshop will explore the basic ringing techniques briefly, and some of the extended techniques that can be used within the entire range of handchimes. We will examine their use as a solo instrument and with handbell music whether notated or not.
David Ruder is currently past chair of AGEHR Area XII.  He has directed handbells in the public school and church in California for over 35 years.  He has directed, led workshops, composed and written about handbells at various International Handbell Symposium events and conferences throughout the USA.
Available Session 3 and Session 5
HIC Reading Session -Christmas Levels 3-4
Available Session 1
HIC Reading Session - Handchimes
Available Session 2
HIC Reading Session -Hymns Level 1-2
Available Session 3
HIC Reading Session -Ensembles
Available Session 4
HIC Reading Session -Handbell Classics-Tried and Try
Available Session 5
How it All Began	William Butler
This class offers an illustrated talk on the origin of musical handbells, the first founders and their families and fortunes.  It then reviews some of the 19th century handbell teams who played these handbells and the music they used.
William Butler has spent more than forty years researching the history of handbells.  His book, “Musical Handbells” is regarded as the text-book on the subject.  He has given this workshop on three continents.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Japanese Handbell Music	Kazuko Okamoto
This class introduces published Japanese handbell music through DVD performances of Japanese choirs conducted by the composers/arranges of the works.  Participants do not ring the music, but watch performances of it.
Kazuko Okamoto graduated from Kyoto City University of the Arts majoring in composition.  Okamoto has many published compositions and arrangements from Japanese publisher “Waon” and leads the “Handbell Ringers Sara” and directs many other handbell choirs.
Available Session 2 and Session 5
Keeping the Rhythms in Latin Music	Carlos Enrique Rivera-Aponte
This workshop will explore various rhythms from Latino-Hispanic cultures. Handbells will be used to explore melodic and rhythmic ostenato. Drumming and movement (dances) will compliment the experience which promises to be full of energy and flavor.
Carlos E. Rivera-Aponte is a founding member of the Coro Polifònico Juvenil de Campanas and the Puerto Rican Handbell Festival. He is presently associate music director at the Coro Polifònico where he also conducts the preparatory handbell choir, Cantabile, and the intermediate choir, Allegro.  He is director of the Second Union Church Choir in San Juan, Puerto Rico and is a music teacher at a Montessori School in Aibonito.
Available Session 2 and Session 3
Korean Folk Game – Jegichagi	Eui Gon Kim
The Korean game, Jegichagi, is similar to shuttlecock. A "jedi" is kicked in the air. A player tries to keep it up in the air.  Attendees will learn and participate in this Korean favorite.
Eui Gon Kim is director of the Taijeon Handbell Choir.  A role held since 1990.
Available Session 2 and Session 5
Made In Canada	Barbara Maki & Sylvia Carcadden
The class offers a Power Point presentation featuring the natural beauty and diversity of a community in northern Ontario, Canada.
Barbara Maki & Sylvia Carcadden are a mother-daughter team who ring together in their community handbell choir in Lively Ontario.
Available Session 1 and Session 3
Malmark Maintenance	Kathy Ebling-Thorne
This class will demonstrate the proper care and maintenance of Malmark handbells and Choirchime® instruments.
Kathy Ebling-Thorne is director of sales and marketing of Malmark, Inc.  In addition, she serves on the faculty of the Sacred Music department of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Princeton, New Jersey.  She is  well-known as a clinician and conductor in the handbell community.
Available Session 1 and Session 3
Maori Stick Game	Margaret Inch
A fun workshop where you will learn action songs, stick games, and poi movements of the Maori people of New Zealand.  Information about Maori history and culture will also be presented.
Margaret Inch has been involved in high school education for over 30 years, the last eight as principal.  Margaret is a handbell ringer and director of handbells and regularly presents workshops at International Symposium events.
Available in Session 1 and Session 3
More Than Just Ringing: Stopped Sounds	Michael Joy
This workshop will explore some of the interesting and effective sounds that handbells can produce when they are not "just ringing." The techniques will include martellato, pluck, thumb damp and mallet.  Special attention will be given to making these sounds more musical. Please bring two mallets.
Michael Joy is a composer, educator, and handbell director who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Over the last 30 years, he has taught and conducted at many festivals and workshops throughout the USA. Available in Session 4 and Session 5
Musicality of Bass Bells	Nick Hanson
So you know how to ring the ‘buckets,’ but do you have the right touch?  Bass Bells are in a class of their own when it comes to ringing musically, and this class will provide you with tips and tricks to achieving that musicality without becoming the “one-man (or woman!) show.”
Nick Hanson currently serves as the handbell instructor for 5th-12th grades at The Potomac School, a private K-12 school outside McLean, Virginia.  Nick has been an instructor for various AGEHR Area III events, Music ‘N Arts Exploration, Concordia University Irvine’s Summer Ring, and handbell training sessions in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Available Session 4 and Session 5
New British Repertoire	Tim Willets
This workshop provides the first opportunity to play through new pieces from the pens of British arrangers and composers.
Tim Willets played bass bells for many years until he realized that a conductor’s baton weighs less!  He now conducts two teams close to his home in Surrey, England, and two English regional teams – the Northern Bell Orchestra and the East Anglica Regional Team, who are participating at this Symposium.
Available Session 2 and Session 4
Origami	Nozomu Abe
This workshop introduces Japanese traditional Origami using square paper.  Participants will see that a small piece of paper without any concrete meaning turns into a shape that represents something.  You will find that the simpler the shape, the more beautiful it is.
Nozomu Abe, of the YMCA Handbell Choir (established in 1980), has been a regular participant in the International Handbell Symposium since 1988.  Abe has served as a massed conductor twice and presented workshops on Japanese music and Origami several times.
Available Session 3 and Session 4
Otedama, Koma, Menko	Yukiko Suzuki
Let’s play traditional Japanese children’s games Otedama, Koma, and Menko.  You will make your own Otedama from partially finished components.
Yukiko Suzuki graduated from Musashino Academia Musicae, majoring in voice and is the conductor of Suzunoki Handbell Choir.  Suzuki gives piano, voice, and solfeggio lessons at the Suzuki Music Studio, and is a member of Abiko City Board of Education.
Available Session 2 and Session 4
Palms & Palm Frond Weaving	Amy Lawson
Participants in this workshop will learn about Florida’s palm species and how to weave palm fronds into simple shapes like crosses and fish.  Alternative materials for weaving will be provided for participants who wish to participate but cannot bring plant material back into their country.
Amy Lawson is a member of the Moorings Ringers and has lived in Florida for 30 years.  Amy makes palm crosses to distribute to the members of her church each year on Palm Sunday.
Available Session 4 only
Rhythms to Ringing	Tim Waugh
Join this fun feet and hands-on activity that will sharpen your rhythm skills. An added bonus will be a running commentary on how you can incorporate these skills in your rehearsal and make your choirs more rhythmically and musically adept.
Tim Waugh is known internationally to performers of many mediums including choral, handballs, theatre, and church music and has established himself as a tireless champion for performing arts of all types.  Serving since 1994 as chair of the Department of Music and the Division of Fine Arts at Pike View High School in West Virginia, he directs choral music, musical theatre, and handbell activities in a public education setting.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Schulmerich Maintenance: Maintaining your Schulmerich Handbell and MelodyChime® instruments	Kermit D. Junkert
This workshop provides an overview of the proper care and maintenance of Schulmerich handbell and MelodyChime® instruments.  Sick instruments are welcome.
Kermit D. Junkert is the artistic director and conductor of the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble.  In addition to being a national festival conductor, Kermit is a local, national, and internationally know handbell clinician.  He is currently the vice president of sales and marketing for Schulmerich Bells in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Small Ensemble Ringing	Susan Carscadden-Mifsud
This hands-on workshop will cover trios and quintets with particular emphasis on quartet ringing.  Participants will have the chance to play in a quartet and explore the wealth of repertoire available for small ensembles.
Susan Carscadden-Mifsud has been ringing bells for over 30 years and is the Schulmerich representative for Ontario, Canada.  She is the founder and ringer/director of Bells Ablaze and the quartet, Bellissima Ringers.  As owner of Handbell Graces, Susan is well known as a workshop clinician and solo ringer.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Speed Stacking	Karen Leonard
The sport of speed stacking is a fun way to promote dexterity, eye-hand coordination, patterning, sequencing and focus. Learn how to "up-stack" and "down-stack" in several combinations and fun ways to incorporate this activity into your program.
Karen Leonard holds degrees in church music, organ performance, and conducting, and currently directs eight choirs.  She is a past president of AGEHR and has been a conductor and clinician at several International Symposium events.
Available Session 1, Session 3, and Session 5
Technique of Off-Table Ringing	Sandra & Martin Winter
This workshop provides a practical opportunity to learn the traditional off-table English ringing technique, with both treble and bass bells.  See how damping, weaving, passing and other techniques are used with this method of “backringing”.
Sandra and Martin Winter have been ringing for over 30 and 25 years respectively.  Sandra directs the Wandle Ringers, a 5-octave team based near London, rings as a soloist and is a published composer and arranger.  Martin is a bass ringer and directs the SAS Ringers, a church group at All Saints Sanderstead.  Sandra is the national secretary of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain and Martin is a national executive member.
Available Session 3 and Session 5
Treble Techniques: Introduction to Doubling Up	Sharon Schmidt
Learn to use Shelley and 4-in-hand to add the upper octave. This hands-on class will cover assignments, set ups, ringing and damping basics, finding the sweet spot, alternate Shelley and figuring out what notes to double.
Sharon Schmidt is a charter member of The Agape Ringers, an auditioned community handbell ensemble in the Chicago area.  She also rings in Quadrille, a handbell quartet that performs regularly at Agape Ringers’ concerts.  Sharon has served on the Illinois state committee for AGEHR since 1994, and as organizer of five AGEHR national events.
Available Session 3 and Session 4
Victorian Solo Ringing	Sandra Winter
This workshop provides the opportunity to look back in time to Victorian England.  With a set of period English handbells, illustrations, and examples, see and hear how Victorian ladies (and gentleman) pioneered the art of solo ringing.
Sandra Winter began solo ringing over 10 years ago, in addition to her team ringing, directing, and composing/arranging activities.  She has researched the history of the art from in England with its beginnings in the Victorian period.
Available Session 1 and Session 4
Visual Choreography	John Behnke
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, how about out handbell playing?  Can we paint pictures visually with the way we ring handbells?  This session will examine the role of visual creativity in playing handbells from start to finish.
John Behnke is professor of Music at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin.  He also directs The Alleluia Ringers and the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble and is music editor of AGEHR.
Available Session 3 and Session 4
Weaving and the Battery (middle) Bells	KC Congdon
Weaving is not just used to create rugs, fabrics and tapestries. It is also used to make handbell ringing look graceful and dance-like. Along with this, we will also explore techniques that only apply to the G4-B5 range.
KC Congdon rings with The Agape Ringers and Bells In Motion.  She is a substitute organist and directs three handbell choirs.  She has served on the Illinois state committee and the National Seminar planning committee for AGEHR.
Available Session 1 and Session 2
Whitechapel Maintenance	Alan & Kathryn Hughes
Learn about the care and proper maintenance of your Whitechapel handbells.
Alan & Kathryn Hughes are the managing directors of Whitechapel bell foundry and are the fourth generation of the family to be involved in running the foundry. Whitechapel, founded in 1570, is the oldest manufacturing company in the United Kingdom and has produced some of the most famous bells of all time, including the American Liberty Bell and "Big Ben" of Westminster.
Available Session 4 and Session 5

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