Rolling Repertoire

Many community ensembles have settled into the predictable routine of offering a Christmas concert and a Spring concert. Often, these singular concerts are performed several times each season at different locations over the course of a couple of weekends. For the most part, we have trained our audiences to expect to see us only twice a year. We fall into this routine because it works. It’s a proven formula that we have become comfortable with. But what if we could step out of that comfort zone, perform more concerts, and we had the added bonus of more engaged ringers?

I was introduced to the idea of rolling repertoire several years ago. The basic concept is the intentional placement of key pieces that can be carried forward and a constantly running addition of new music, but the beauty of the idea is that it can be tailored for each ensemble’s unique situation.

Let me walk you through a hypothetical scenario to illustrate:

Community Bell Ensemble (CBE) loves performing. They could really use the income from another concert to help them purchase the 6th octave, but there isn’t enough time to prepare another concert. CBE’s director programs a brilliant Christmas concert with twelve audience-dazzling pieces. For three of those pieces, she chooses new original works or folk pieces that fit the concert theme but are not strictly limited to Christmas. Halfway through the season, the director hands out two new pieces. Two of the Christmas concert pieces are solid and get shifted to the “keep ready” portion of rehearsals, and the new pieces are introduced in their place. The following month, the director repeats this with another two new pieces. All the Christmas repertoire is continuing to get the appropriate attention, but new pieces are also being prepared simultaneously. The Christmas concert season is stunning, and audiences can’t get enough of the music that CBE is creating and sharing. They are invited to the next concert – at the end of March! When CBE returns to rehearsals in January, they already have the three pieces from the Christmas concerts that the director intentionally programmed to be played again, plus the four pieces they have been working on alongside their Christmas repertoire. They need to add five more pieces for their next concert, but the director hands out eight pieces (five for March and three for their traditional “Spring concert”). In February, the director introduces two more pieces just like she did while working on the Christmas repertoire. By the time the second concert is performed, the ensemble has three pieces from that concert specifically chosen to carry forward and play again, the three extra pieces that were started in January but were for the “Spring concert,” and the two other pieces that were introduced alongside the second concert repertoire. Again, they only need to learn five new pieces during April and May, and they will have another unique concert to offer their audiences.

In this scenario, the ensemble operates from August to May, but the concept could be applied to any yearly organization. To be sure, it requires more planning and a good view of the overall picture of the ensemble’s year. In planning themes, it may require thinking outside the box to intentionally choose whatever number of pieces that can carry forward and fit a new theme without sounding like a repeat. As directors choosing repertoire, we have an abundance of unique handbell music working on our side in such an endeavor, and more are becoming available all the time.

There are many different advantages to implementing this idea of rolling repertoire. The most obvious is that it has the potential to make it possible for ensembles to perform more concerts throughout the year. Instead of devoting three or four solid months to only learning just one concert’s worth of repertoire, we begin to overcome the obstacle of “not enough time” to be able to offer more unique performances.

More performance opportunities lead to more interaction with our audiences. We often discuss among ourselves the frustration of handbells being relegated to being seen as just a “Christmas instrument.” Having more concerts during the year is one way to combat this. It allows us to hopefully interact with even more people and introduce them to more of the vast repertoire of music handbells can create. We capitalize on the interest generated from the first concert by offering another concert while people are still talking about the first one.

Implementing this concept of rolling repertoire also offers an advantage to our ensembles: keeping our ringers engaged. By consistently introducing new music, the ringers are given new challenges. There is no room for becoming bored or complacent with the music when there is always something new and fresh to focus on. Assimilating new music is a skill, and more opportunities to learn new pieces will strengthen those abilities. The ringers will also become more adept at implementing the ensemble skills that take music from technically correct to musical expression. Listening and responding to each other will grow as they are consistently given new and varied musical scenarios. In my experience with this rolling repertoire concept, I have also seen more commitment from the ringers at rehearsals because something new is always being worked on, and they recognize that they don’t “already know it.”

The scenario spelled out above may be ambitious for your ensemble, or maybe you already do something similar in line with this idea of rolling repertoire. The concept deserves to be considered. It is flexible enough to be of benefit in many different situations and molded into many forms to accommodate various circumstances. May this be another tool in your toolbox as your ensembles reach toward their goals and always aspire to higher potential.

Many community ensembles have settled into the predictable routine of offering a Christmas concert and a Spring concert. Often, these singular concerts are performed several times each season at different locations over the course of a couple of weekends. For the most part, we have trained our audiences to expect to see us only twice a year. We fall into this routine because it works. It’s a proven formula that we have become comfortable with. But what if we could step out of that comfort zone, perform more concerts, and we had the added bonus of more engaged ringers?

I was introduced to the idea of rolling repertoire several years ago. The basic concept is the intentional placement of key pieces that can be carried forward and a constantly running addition of new music, but the beauty of the idea is that it can be tailored for each ensemble’s unique situation.

Let me walk you through a hypothetical scenario to illustrate:

Community Bell Ensemble (CBE) loves performing. They could really use the income from another concert to help them purchase the 6th octave, but there isn’t enough time to prepare another concert. CBE’s director programs a brilliant Christmas concert with twelve audience-dazzling pieces. For three of those pieces, she chooses new original works or folk pieces that fit the concert theme but are not strictly limited to Christmas. Halfway through the season, the director hands out two new pieces. Two of the Christmas concert pieces are solid and get shifted to the “keep ready” portion of rehearsals, and the new pieces are introduced in their place. The following month, the director repeats this with another two new pieces. All the Christmas repertoire is continuing to get the appropriate attention, but new pieces are also being prepared simultaneously. The Christmas concert season is stunning, and audiences can’t get enough of the music that CBE is creating and sharing. They are invited to the next concert – at the end of March! When CBE returns to rehearsals in January, they already have the three pieces from the Christmas concerts that the director intentionally programmed to be played again, plus the four pieces they have been working on alongside their Christmas repertoire. They need to add five more pieces for their next concert, but the director hands out eight pieces (five for March and three for their traditional “Spring concert”). In February, the director introduces two more pieces just like she did while working on the Christmas repertoire. By the time the second concert is performed, the ensemble has three pieces from that concert specifically chosen to carry forward and play again, the three extra pieces that were started in January but were for the “Spring concert,” and the two other pieces that were introduced alongside the second concert repertoire. Again, they only need to learn five new pieces during April and May, and they will have another unique concert to offer their audiences.

In this scenario, the ensemble operates from August to May, but the concept could be applied to any yearly organization. To be sure, it requires more planning and a good view of the overall picture of the ensemble’s year. In planning themes, it may require thinking outside the box to intentionally choose whatever number of pieces that can carry forward and fit a new theme without sounding like a repeat. As directors choosing repertoire, we have an abundance of unique handbell music working on our side in such an endeavor, and more are becoming available all the time.

There are many different advantages to implementing this idea of rolling repertoire. The most obvious is that it has the potential to make it possible for ensembles to perform more concerts throughout the year. Instead of devoting three or four solid months to only learning just one concert’s worth of repertoire, we begin to overcome the obstacle of “not enough time” to be able to offer more unique performances.

More performance opportunities lead to more interaction with our audiences. We often discuss among ourselves the frustration of handbells being relegated to being seen as just a “Christmas instrument.” Having more concerts during the year is one way to combat this. It allows us to hopefully interact with even more people and introduce them to more of the vast repertoire of music handbells can create. We capitalize on the interest generated from the first concert by offering another concert while people are still talking about the first one.

Implementing this concept of rolling repertoire also offers an advantage to our ensembles: keeping our ringers engaged. By consistently introducing new music, the ringers are given new challenges. There is no room for becoming bored or complacent with the music when there is always something new and fresh to focus on. Assimilating new music is a skill, and more opportunities to learn new pieces will strengthen those abilities. The ringers will also become more adept at implementing the ensemble skills that take music from technically correct to musical expression. Listening and responding to each other will grow as they are consistently given new and varied musical scenarios. In my experience with this rolling repertoire concept, I have also seen more commitment from the ringers at rehearsals because something new is always being worked on, and they recognize that they don’t “already know it.”

The scenario spelled out above may be ambitious for your ensemble, or maybe you already do something similar in line with this idea of rolling repertoire. The concept deserves to be considered. It is flexible enough to be of benefit in many different situations and molded into many forms to accommodate various circumstances. May this be another tool in your toolbox as your ensembles reach toward their goals and always aspire to higher potential.

Lauran Delancy holds a B.A. in Parish Music and a Master of Church Music with an emphasis in Handbells from Concordia University Wisconsin. She fell in love with handbells in high school and has enjoyed ringing, composing, directing, and teaching ever since. Lauran was a founding member of the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble and served as the Artistic Director of Rezound! from 2012 to 2021. She has served several terms on the Area 8 board of Handbell Musicians of America and taught at area and national festivals. Lauran currently serves as the Director of Parish Music at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Olathe, Kansas, where she has a vibrant program with multiple handbell ensembles beginning at age three.