Chiming In
It’s a Virtual World, After All
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Who in January would have thought that in a very short time they would be spending so much time working, playing, visiting, learning, and shopping online. Granted, we’ve been doing a good deal of that online for some time now, but online activities seem to have increased exponentially this year.
From the President's Pen
If someone had told me that I would finish out the last year of my Handbell Musicians of America presidency in the middle of global upheaval due to a viral pandemic and racial strife (to name just two major issues), well, I might have said “I’ll pass.” I think many of us are feeling that [...]
Executive Notes
Normally, transformation is a slow process. It involves re-creation, open minds, and persistence. The Handbell Musicians of America just experienced a transformation that was far from the normal, plodding progress of change. It was a re-creation of amazing proportions, put in place by an open-minded creative team, experienced by open-minded participants, and spearheaded by a [...]
Membership Matters
This year has brought many new challenges and also many great opportunities. We have had to learn to adapt to a different way of doing everyday tasks. At the same time, the opportunity to spend more time with our loved ones is a new possibility. These changes have led us to examine our priorities.
What's Happening
National Seminar 2021 in Glendale, Arizona Call for Faculty and Performers
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National Seminar 2021 will be Tuesday, July 13 through Saturday, July 17, at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa in Glendale, Arizona (near Phoenix). Several performance opportunities are offered throughout the event. We are also seeking submissions for classes and faculty to present at the event.
What's Happening
Pre-Register for National Seminar and Save
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Join us at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa in Glendale, Arizona (near Phoenix), for National Seminar 2021. Event dates are Tuesday, July 13, through Saturday, July 17. Pre-register by October 1 and freeze the registration fee at $350.
Feature
Christine Anderson and Dr. John A. Behnke named Honorary Life Members at National Seminar Online
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Handbell Musicians of America welcomed our newest recipients of the Honorary Life Membership award during our National Seminar Online event in July. HMA’s highest honor, Honorary Life Membership is an award to recognize and honor a lifetime commitment to handbells, based on exceptional service to HMA and to handbell ringing in general. It is reserved [...]
Special Report
The Classroom in the Days of COVID
Keeping music IN and COVID OUT of the classroom
Keeping a ringing program going in a school is challenging in itself—equipment cost and storage, space requirements, high standards of student attendance, concerts and outreach scheduling—but now with COVID-19 (the elephant in the room, so to speak), “in-person” ringing classes are now more challenging than ever, and yet, at the same time, also the answer [...]
Tips & Tools
Tips for Creating and Running a Virtual Event
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After shifting both the Tintabulations Spring Ring and the Area 12 Conference to a virtual platform, I have had a lot of people ask for assistance in taking their events virtual. If you are considering this, here are some tips and tools to help you in the process:
Feature
A Most Unusual Venue
How National Seminar went virtual amid COVID-19 pandemic
By all accounts, 2020 started off normally, including for Handbell Musicians of America and the National Seminar planning committee. Many had already pre-registered for the event by the time the website was made public in January, and general registrations for Seminar, Master Classes, and Distinctly Teen opened in February. Then, along came something called COVID-19, [...]
Handbells in Education
I Love Thursdays
One high school handbell choir has students loving Thursdays
When I was eight years old, my mother introduced me to handbells. I had been playing piano for a few years so I could read music and basic rhythms. My mother (Jane Hicks) was our church choir and handbell choir director. I joined the group and after going to my first festival at DePauw University, [...]
Handbell Musicians Roundtable
Musicians all over the world share one thing for certain right now: that nothing is certain during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. One day we were happily playing and singing together, hugging, breathing the same air, and offering our music to congregations and audiences of all ages. Then, suddenly, we were on lockdown. Worship [...]
