BELL CHOIRS
Holy Trinity currently has four bell choirs:
Holy Trinity Youth Bells
This is a three-octave handbell choir made up of anyone who can read music and is high-school age or below. Youth Bells have a great tradition of performing at Holy Trinity and the Highlands Handbell Festival. The group includes both newbies and experienced ringers, and during the year the music is likely to range from moderately easy to fairly challenging.The ringing year for Youth ringers is divided into several sessions. Ringers may be asked to sign a contract agreeing to attend all rehearsals for any session in which they wish to participate. See below for more detail on the Youth Bell Ringers contract.
Youth Bells is limited to 12 ringers. If more than 12 ringers sign up for any one session, the director may pull aside a number of the more advanced ringers to work separately on more difficult music. Ringers are chosen at the director's discretion (see next section for more information).
Advanced Ringers
This group includes a few of the more skilled ringers from the Youth Bell Choir. The number of ringers in this group may change from session to session, depending on how many ringers have signed up (the Youth Bell Choir accommodates 12 ringers and is always filled first). In some sessions, there may be no Advanced group at all.Participation in Advanced Bells is at the discretion of the director. If an advanced piece requires more bells than we have overflow from the Youth Bells, then one or more ringers may be asked to ring in both groups. Occasionally the director may include a medium level ringer who is working hard and learning quickly in order to give them a chance to show their mettle in the Advanced Bell group. Skilled ringers may be assigned to Youth Bells purely for scheduling reasons, because Youth Bells and Advanced Bells must meet at different times.
Holy Trinity Chimes Choir
Hand chimes have a mellower, more sustained tone than handbells, and are often included in handbell pieces as a contrasting sound color. Chimes are a bit easier to handle than bells, and are good for those who are just starting out as well as experienced ringers.Anyone who is eligible for Youth Bells may play in the Chimes Choir instead; however, we will try to place younger children into Chimes. Music-reading skills are necessary in order to play the hand-chimes; we will teach this to our ringers as necessary.
This group has six to eight ringers. It rehearses after church every Sunday from 10:45 to 11:30am under the direction of Anne Bennett.
Photo courtesy of Loretta Larraga
Holy Trinity Senior Bells
This is our adult handbell choir, a wonderful, diverse group of ringers of various skill levels. The Senior Bells perform by themselves, but they also often play in pieces which include the adult and children's choirs and other instrumentalists. Music reading is a requirement, and ringers must be beyond high-school age.Ideally, this group has about a dozen ringers. Often we fall short of that number, so please consider joining us! Senior Bells rehearses every Sunday after church, 11:30-12:30.
A WORD ABOUT REHEARSALSAnyone who plays in a handbell group knows how difficult it can be when people are missing. The music sounds bad no matter how well you play, and sometimes aural cures that you depend upon go missing. Absences actually can make a good group play worse!
Please, please do not miss rehearsals unless you absolutely have to!
PERFORMANCE DRESSBlack pants or skirts, black shoes and socks, white shirts or blouses. Sleeve length is up to the individual. We prefer men and boys to wear neckties.
Ladies, please do not wear brooches or dangly things that will accidentally cause you to make clinking sounds or worse, scratch the bells.
Everyone must wear black cotton gloves for performances and rehearsals. White cotton gloves are also acceptable. This is because skin oils and acids can damage the surfaces of the bells.
YOUTH BELLS RINGER CONTRACT AND SESSION SCHEDULEIn the past, we have asked young people who wish to participate in Youth Bells or Advanced Bells to sign a contract (co-signed by a parent) in which they agree to attend ALL the rehearsals for the "session" they check off in the contract. A session is usually five or six weeks of rehearsals followed by a performance on the last Sunday of the session. The Director of Music may choose to dispense with the formal contract, but the underlying expectations are the same.
This does NOT apply to Chimes or to Senior Bells.
The Music Director will plan for a bell choir including only those ringers who have agreed to meet the requirements for the upcoming session. If written contracts are being required, you can give the contract directly to Charles or leave it in the music director’s mailbox (small room off the narthex) by 12:30 p.m. on the specified date.
Planned Absences: The Music Director will accommodate planned absences (for conflicting family obligations) up to the limit noted, usually one per session, if notified in advance. Planned absences are not encouraged because any absence makes rehearsals much more difficult.
Absence due to illness: If you must be absent unexpectedly due to illness, please notify the director as soon as possible.
