Workshop descriptions Session 2
WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST (p.m.)
2.1 – 2.4 Ringing Tracks A B C D
2.5 Ceilidh Dancing (Scottish Country Dancing) Ruth Cantlay (UK, HRGB)
The class will give you a taste of two or three Scottish dances. Scottish country dancing can be quite formal, but there is a fun element to all the dances we will be doing, and they are frequently danced at Scottish weddings.
2.6 Music in Motion: Easy ways to add visual interest to a performance with layers of movement heather nicholson (Canada, HMC)
Handbells are a visual art form, and there are simple ways to add excitement and polish to a performance. This workshop will explore easy movements and ideas that anyone can apply to make the music look as wonderful as it sounds. We will explore ideas for starting and stopping a piece, picking up and putting down bells, malleting, and more. There won't be any crazy dance moves, and you won't have to get your heart rate up. But you WILL get lots of ideas for a variety of ways to take your performances from pretty good to amazing and memorable.
2.7 Canadian Folk Songs Patsy Andrews-Vert (Canada, HMC)
This workshop will allow participants a first glance, and sight read, at a collection of Canadian Folk Songs arranged for handbells/handchimes by Canadian arranger and composer, Craig Cassils. This collection was published in the Fall of 2021 by From the Top Music Publishing Co. and features Level 2-3, 3 octaves arrangements of Canadian Folk Songs from all over on a journey to Canada, complete with pictures, history, geography and music!
2.8 Ringing by Numbers – Not for the Fainthearted! Philip Bedford (UK, HRGB)
Any level of music can be played from traditional number notation. Even Benjamin Britten composed in a version of it. TAKE THE CHALLENGE. Come and play some of the more difficult two and a quarter octave handbell number music - and be very surprised. It is so satisfying, especially four-in-hand.
2.9 Hungarian Heritage & Harmony: A Cultural Journey with Bells Márton Germán (Hungary)
Join us for an interactive exploration of Hungarian culture! We will dive into Hungary's unique heritage, taking a fun look at our language and traditions. For musicians, no Hungarian journey is complete without Zoltán Kodály. We will briefly explore how the famous Kodály method fits the nature of handbell ringing. Furthermore, there will be an introduction to an upcoming international handbell program in Hungary, sharing insights into its development and goals.
2.10 North-East Scots Language (Doric) and Culture Workshop Charley Buchan (Scotland)
An exploration of the culture of north-east Scotland. Participants will have the opportunity to understand where the ‘Scots’ language came from, to learn some of the local Doric dialect, and how this informs the north-east culture through music and beyond
2.11 Before You Ring Mark Walland (UK, HRGB)
What to look for when confronted with a new piece of music and what some of the symbols and ‘funny words’ mean.
2.12 Becoming Team Players Through Critical Listening Debbie Rice (Canada, HMC)
Critical listening represents an area of essential skills that directors and ringers navigate together in order to become a stronger team. Attendees will participate as ringers exploring how to create the best group sound, execute dynamics, highlight melodies and shape musical phrases.
2.13 Origami Crane Noriko Musha (Japan, HRJ)
This class will teach participants how to fold one of the most traditional and well-known forms of Japanese origami: the paper crane. Together, we will fold as many cranes as we can and bundle them at the end to create a senbazuru—a string of one thousand cranes. In Japan, cranes have long been considered a symbol of good fortune, and it is said that folding a thousand of them (meaning “many”) will help one’s wishes come true. With prayers for peace, we hope to create this senbazuru together.