Bay View Week of Handbells

Bay View Week of Handbells MASSIVE MISSIVE July, 2016 www.weekofhandbells.com

(No password is needed to access information on the website.)

The BAY VIEW WEEK OF HANDBELLS is only four weeks away! It’s always exciting to send out the Massive Missive in anticipation for another memorable Week of Handbells. I hope you are really getting down to the meat of the music and are experiencing some quality time with your music and rehearsal times.

Just a reminder that you are expected to have all pieces at tempo when you arrive at Bay View. We want to spend the week making music, not learning notes and slogging through running passages. Doing the work now makes for pleasurable ringing in August. We do appreciate those of you who honor that request and come prepared—it makes for a much richer ringing experience for you and those that ring around you.

This MASSIVE MISSIVE worked well the last few years so I thought I would use the same format again this year. The subjects are written in alphabetical order so you can just scroll down to the subject you need—hopefully at some point you’ll read through the whole thing. It is good to be informed and to refresh yourself on the details in this missive if you’ve attended Bay View previously. In a few weeks I will be sending out the schedule for the week so you have it prior to the Week. You will want to print off the schedule with as many copies as you need so you have them —there will not be copies available during the Week.

I invite you…. to please….read on.

First, MOST importantly: We need equipment! Can you help? Email Sue Cobb if you are able and willing: [email protected] (don’t email me—that doesn’t help Sue  ) Here’s what we need: we are still in need of two sets of G#8 and A8 bells, preferably Schulmerich, and one C#7 bell. We could also use some help with 4” foam.

What is the A llured Composition Fund ?? Each year we collect money for the Allured Composition Fund. This fund is unique to Bay View Week of Handbells. Funds are used solely for composing original handbell music that exemplifies the standards, quality, and expectations that Dr. Don Allured would look for in an original composition. You will receive an envelope at your ringing position during the Week. You may put your generous contribution in the envelope at any time during the week and then place the envelope in the designated basket with an orange liner. Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted (checks and credit cards are tax deductible). Please make your checks out to Handbell Musicians of America, Inc. and write Allured Fund in the memo section. Each year we try to set a record—so save up your money! If you have any questions, please email Beth Ann Edwards at [email protected] A warm, heart-felt THANK YOU to the Allured Composition Fund Committee for overseeing this project. What a special way to remember Don Allured!

A ssociation Maps If you would like a map of the Bay View Association grounds so you can see where the rehearsals will be held, where the Welcome Dinner is, and where the dorm is located, feel free to go to the Bay View Association website, click on the “About Us” tab and then click on “Location and Maps”. www.bayviewassociation.org

B ay View Wear You know you want it! You want an article of clothing that proudly displays the 2016 logo (you can see the logo on the actual order form on the website). Here’s your chance! Print off a copy of the order form. Fill in the SIZE, the QUANTITY, and the COLOR. Then fill in your name, address, etc. on the order form and write your check! Make your check (US Funds) out to Week of Handbells and in the memo write Bay View Wear. There are several new colors for some of your favorite selections! Check it out. If you order before July 1st, you will not need to add postage and handling and your articles will be available during registration on August 15.

If you didn’t get your order in to me by July 1st, your order will be placed DURING the Week of Handbells. You will need to add postage and handling costs and your articles will be mailed to your home. If you think you might be ordering Bay View Wear DURING the Week of Handbells, PRINT OFF A COPY of the order form from the website. There will not be copies available at Bay View to place an order so you might want to print off a copy just in case. You can always recycle the order form if you don’t use it. Remember any orders received during the Week should add $6.00 for shipping—clothes will shipped directly to your home. Orders will be received through noon on Wednesday, August 17. Thanks to Sherri Stoffer for our logo!

C ell Phones Please turn your cell phone OFF for all rehearsals. Please do not text, use your cell phone during any rehearsals, or have it up on the ringing table. We have regular breaks throughout the day and you may gladly use your cell phone at that time to check your messages, etc.

C oncert Attire What to wear, what to wear? We make it very easy for you! Black clothes, white gloves. DONE! Men: Black, Long-sleeved, button down “dress” shirt (not a tux shirt), with black pants, black belt, black socks, black undershirt (if you wear one), black shoes. Women: Black tops—preferably with three quarter length sleeves or LONGER), black pants or skirts, black shoes. Please: no plunging necklines, bare arms, dangly glitzy earrings or necklaces. EVERYONE: White gloves for performance; any type of gloves for rehearsal (no bare hands).

D orm Residents Don’t forget to pack twin sized sheets, pillows, and any other bedding you think you’ll need. Usually there is a pillow, mattress, with maybe a bedspread. You’ll also need to bring your own toiletries and a towel and washcloth. Keep in mind that you will not be able to move into the dorm until after the cleaning crew has a chance to come in and clean up after the students that have been there all summer—so plan on Monday afternoon after the rehearsal (4:30 pm). You’ll have some time to get settled in before the Welcome Dinner. Your first meal at the dorm will be Tuesday morning breakfast. Make sure you sign up for the Wednesday evening dinner if you plan on eating at the dorm (and not going to town, etc.) by Tuesday noon (so the cook can plan and prepare) and by Thursday by 9:00 am for a Friday morning box lunch if you need one. There will be a meal schedule on your dresser. Also, all residents should check out by 12:00 noon Friday afternoon. Please let me know if you need anything else. E valuations Our evaluations are completed online It‘s much easier for me to share your answers, suggestions, and opinions with Carl and Fred if they are completed online, rather than making a bunch of photocopies and mailing them to Carl. Instructions will be emailed to you after the Week is completed. Please fill the eval out completely and thoughtfully---we depend on your feedback.

F arewell Breakfast, Friday, Aug.19, 9:00-10:30am Friday’s Farewell Breakfast is completely optional. This year Pierpont Productions will be showing the rough draft of the video at the Friday morning breakfast. If you’d rather hit the road and start heading home, feel free to do that. We offer the breakfast as a chance to say goodbye to friends old and new. The sign-up form will be available when the week begins—cost is $15 cash, at the door of the Bay View Inn—all you can eat!

M usic Display Heitz Handbells and Music will be displaying music around the auditorium this year. We’ll be hearing more from Carol Scheel in the months to come. They’ll be offering gloves, notebooks, polish, and mallets in addition to music. We’re so grateful to Heitz Handbells and Music for providing us with opportunity to look at lots of music during our Week.

* * WARNING * * * WARNING * * * WARNING * * * WARNING * * * WARNING * * * WARNING * *

O DORS…I mean…PERFUMES, HAIR SPRAY, HAIR PRODUCTS, DEODORANTS, LOTIONS, DRYER SHEETS, DETERGENT… These items all have FRAGRANCE. The stage has theater style lighting. That means it is HOT on stage. When a body becomes warm, fragrances no longer smell Spring Time Fresh and become clawing to those that suffer from allergies or have a low tolerance for fragrance. Even if you normally smell Spring Time Fresh (or any of the 100’s of other smells out there) I respectfully ask that you be kind to your neighbor and attend Bay View Week of Handbells fragrance free (that means all rehearsals and the performance). Make sure your clothes haven’t been washed or dried in anything perfume-y (even if it was months earlier). As far as hair products go (shampoos, conditioners, gels, paste, spray, etc.), it’s going to wilt in the heat anyway so why bother? A great opportunity for us to see the REAL you! It’s ok—we all smell sweaty. To top it off, we DO have a ringer that has pretty severe reactions when she smells fragrance ringing with us this year. Thanks for your help in this area-it WILL be appreciated!

Q uestions, Comments, “Helpful” Suggestions During Rehearsal Please don’t do it. Instead, keep a pad and pencil near your rehearsal space. If you have a question about a measure (or two) during rehearsal or you’re unclear about which row is playing which notes, etc. quietly jot a note and check with your neighbor DURING THE BREAK or ask the person in the row in front or behind you that is ringing the same position that you are.

** PLEASE DO STOP PLAYING AS SOON AS CARL OR FRED CUTS YOU OFF. * * ** PLEASE DO NOT TALK AS SOON AS CARL OR FRED CUTS YOU OFF. **

Feel free to ask Carl or Fred a question during the break or share your idea at that time. Please don’t take precious rehearsal time to offer your musical opinion to the group at large. It’s tempting to “help” when you are in the front rows but we have a lot of talented people within the group. The biggest compliment you can pay Carl and Fred is to respect their opinion and the way that he would like to have a certain piece performed. R ehearsals PLEASE make sure that your travel/flight plans enable you to BE IN THE AUDITORIUM, IN YOUR POSITION by noon on Monday, August 15. This may mean you have to fly in on Sunday (August 14) and spring for a motel room. Unless you are ill, very ill, missing rehearsals are not acceptable, and punctuality is expected of everyone for every rehearsal. (If you are ill, please let Carmen know immediately.) All rehearsals will BEGIN ON TIME. Listen for the ship’s bell to ring 5 minutes before rehearsal resumes—quickly make your way to your rehearsal spot when you hear the bell. Make sure you bring (and label everything!):  Black, 3-ringed, easel-type folder for your music. (please don’t bring any other color—the camera will pick that up quickly).  ORIGINAL copies of all music (photo copies are not permitted on the rehearsal floor).  Mallets (PLEASE, please, please label your mallets—both of them—we end up with extra mallets almost every year.  Clear acrylic riser (mandatory for all those ringing in Rows 1 and 5 for sure); risers are HIGHLY recommended so you can see Carl and Fred and so you have space to put all your equipment in your small piece of real estate.  Polishing cloth (Heitz Music will also have some available for purchase during the Week.).  Water bottle (nothing is air conditioned in Bay View so you want to stay hydrated!). Please do not put any water bottles, etc. on the ringing tables at any time.  A cloth carryall bag to put your personal belongings immediately following the concert during takedown.  Your checkbook: --to pay for any music, etc. purchases from Heitz Music. --to donate to the Allured Composition Fund.  $15.00 cash if you sign up for the optional Farewell Breakfast on Friday, August 19.  A pencil. Or two. Or maybe three. With erasers.  Optional: carpet square to stand on, band-aids or moleskin, ring enforcers, highlighters, etc.

--Please keep your bells on the medium setting for all rehearsals unless Carl or Fred tell you differently. --There will be random sized foam pieces available to you on Monday. Feel free to help yourself if you need them. --Keep in mind that you are ringing on a wood stage—if you must tap, tap your big toe. Period.  Your tempo may not exactly be the tempo that Carl is directing and your beat will be heard clearly by the pit ringers. --Practice QUIET page turns. --And….no gum chewing….please…during any rehearsal (or the performance!!).

R ehearsal Location and Concert Info. All rehearsals and the concert are held at the John M. Hall Auditorium in the Bay View Association, 1715 Encampment Avenue. Our performance will be held Thursday evening, August 18, at 8:00pm. No tickets are necessary but an offering will be received for scholarships for association musicians attending Bay View during the summer.

R espect We are guests on the Bay View Association campus. Please respect the residents and our neighbors by observing the quiet time which begins at 10:00pm. Be aware that if you are with a large group, on any given night your voice carries easily. We really love our location and want to respect those that live here through the summer months. This is a non-smoking campus.

Please use the trash cans that are made available to us at all times. The association has requested that NO food or drinks be permitted in the auditorium other than water (this includes candy and treats by the bass pit tables ). We want to respect our rehearsal environment. The squirrels love to nibble on these tasty treats too so we don’t want to tempt them into the auditorium. R oster This year I will email you all a copy of the roster closer to the event. I will apologize now for the typos that might be there. I will not post this on the web site. This document contains personal information that is for our use only. Not for any type of soliciting. When I hear the dates for 2017 I will let everyone know and update the web site.

S chedule Make sure you go to the website and print off a copy of the schedule for your reference before leaving for the Week (it will be available by August 1)—print an extra copy if you need one for a spouse, or an extra copy at the cottage/dorm, etc. There will not be copies available at Bay View for your reference—run off copies as soon as they are available while you are thinking about it! 

What Does S etup on Sunday Night Entail? (August 14 immediately following the Vespers Concert) After the Vesper Service ends and the Hall clears out (around 9:45-10:00pm) the deep pit ringers unload the rental truck with all the bass bells, we unload all the boxes and boxes of music that Heintz Music brings, unload equipment from those that are bringing it, and we set up the stage. (Some of the folks are elderly that attend the Vespers Concert. They need to have access with their vehicle at the side door BEFORE we begin unloading. Please be respectful of that.) Once the rental truck is at the side door, and the tables are delivered you may drive your car to the side door to unload your equipment. We try to do as much setup on Sunday night as possible so that we are out of the way when the Bay View Association ground crew comes in on Monday morning and remove seats, construct the conductor’s podium, etc. Sunday night is the time that we need bodies and hands and muscles!! If you’re in town, we’d love to use your help on Sunday night. If we have enough hands this will be completed lickety-split (and THAT’S fast!).

Monday morning things are different. The grounds crew arrives at 7:30am and it’s very helpful to them if WE aren’t there getting in the way. If you are a Row Captain or Row Captain Helper, Sue will tell you what time you need to arrive at the Hall. If you aren’t a Row Captain or Row Captain Helper we respectfully ask that you PLEASE NOT come to the hall (unless you are bringing equipment—then dump and go—the crew needs access to the same doors you are dropping equipment off at). Registration/check-in is at 10:30 am at the Hall. *IF YOUR ROW IS SET UP you can go into the hall AFTER that time and set up your personal ringing space. If your row is NOT set up, please do NOT go on stage or ask questions of the Row Captains (read: stay out of the way please). Rehearsal begins at noon—you’ll have plenty of time to set up your space. Make sure you eat lunch before you come to rehearsal. The next time you eat will be 5:30 at the Welcome Dinner unless you bring a snack for the break.

V esper Concert—a Week of Handbells Tradition: If you arrive into town the Sunday before the Week begins (Aug. 14), you are encouraged to attend the farewell Vespers Concert put on by the Bay View Association. Ringers traditionally gather in the upper northwest corner of the balcony, listen to a wonderful concert, and then stick around to help unload handbell equipment! Who could ask for a more pleasant evening?  Make sure you order your ticket ahead of time!

Vespers Concert – Apollo to Zeppelin: Icons of the 60’s

For a detailed description of the concert go to the Bay View Music Festival web site, http://www.bayviewfestival.org/ click on Performances, then cling on Calendar, change the month to August,.then click on Sunday, August 14 concert.

John M. Hall Vespers Concert Sunday, August 14, 2016 at 8:00 PM John M Hall Auditorium 1725 Encampment Avenue Petoskey, MI 49770 Phone: 1-888-596-1027 Website: www.bayviewfestival.org

Ticketing Information for Vesper Service: Tickets are $16.50 for non-members. You can buy tickets online anytime at www.bayviewfestival.org. A credit card is required for phone orders. You may have tickets mailed to you, or pick them up at the Bay View Box Office. A credit card must be used to purchase tickets online. There is a service charge of $.95 per ticket when purchasing online, plus a $5 per order charge if using the call center. Orders by phone can be placed anytime by calling 1-888- 596-1027.

There are no service charges on tickets purchased from the Bay View Box Office. The main box office is located in Voorhies Hall. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-2:30 PM Monday through Saturday, and one hour before the performance at the John M. Hall Auditorium. You may pay by cash, check or credit card.

W elcome Dinner Dinner is served at 5:30pm at the Bay View Inn, which is located to the north of the auditorium on US-131. Please do not arrive before 5:20pm but do arrive on time. If you are a registered ringer you will proceed directly into the dining room to your assigned table (your table number will be printed in pencil on the back of your name tag). If you have a guest with you please wait in line by Sue Cobb at the table and she will collect your $25 cash or credit card at the door. We have one hour to serve dinner to a lot of people. Introduce yourself to someone new or warmly greet one of our 17 newbies—especially if you are seated at a table with someone new. To the first timer we are so glad you are joining us! And to everyone returning we are glad you are back! After the evening rehearsal we’ll have light refreshments out on the patio—plenty of time to make new friends. Please wear your name tag Monday for all breaks, to assist people with remembering your name—you must have your name tag on to get in to the Welcome Dinner. Once the dining room is open, you may go directly to your table (listed on the back of your name tag). If you are bringing a guest, go directly to Sue Cobb at the dining room entrance and pay your $25 cash (exact change appreciated). Once everyone is seated we will have 2-3 minutes of announcements and then we’ll eat.

After dinner please be in your position ready to ring at 6:55pm for the evening rehearsal. Dinner should be completed by 6:40, or so.

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And, the last bits of odds and ends: Gloves: Yes, we do require that you wear gloves for all rehearsals (white for the concert!). We borrow all of our equipment so we want to return it in BETTER condition than we received it. Any gloves will do for rehearsals. Spaghetti Strap Tops/Camisoles/Tanks, etc.: It is very warm in the hall but it is the stance of Week of Handbells that we do not permit straps that are so thin that bells will come in contact with bare (sweaty) skin. So no tank tops, camisole-style, or anything else with a thin strap. Please wear tops that have sufficient material to cover the skin so we don’t ruin borrowed equipment. Fans: Small, battery operated fans are permissible but remember there is VERY limited power available and very limited amount of table space. Please make sure that it is quiet enough that your neighbor is able to hear what Carl is saying. Lights: No need to bring lights. The stage will be bright (in fact, every day it gets a bit brighter as adjustments are made). The pit ringers will be provided with stand lights. Stands: If you are ringing on the floor in the pit you will be provided a floor stand. Space is tight on the stage—floor stands are not permitted, but we do strongly recommend that you use an acrylic stand on stage for many reasons (extra space being just one of them). Carpet Squares: Feel free to bring them and use them. The stage gets hard and the pit is ringing on cement. Take care of yourself—cushion your stance. Water: Highly recommended! To avoid headaches and heat exhaustion you want to stay hydrated! Bring a water bottle that you can refill. There is a drinking fountain located by the restrooms so water is readily available. Please use a water bottle that has a secure top so if it is knocked over there won’t be any water spillage. Also, keep water bottles next to your chair or under your table—never ON the table. Please do not bring soda bottles/cans, coffee cups, etc. to the stage floor—only water. Carl will provide plenty of breaks throughout the rehearsal week so if you suffer from low blood sugar (or you just plain get hungry) bring a snack (eat outside) to tide you over. Drink, drink, drink for your health! Music: This goes without saying but. . . no photocopies are permitted to be used during Week of Handbells. If you made arrangements with a buddy beforehand about sharing a stand you may gladly share music—as long as you are using the original piece and not a photocopy. Make sure you write in all the performance notes if you are sharing. Please use a BLACK music folder for the performance. Mallets: Each ringer needs to bring your own set of mallets (or you can buy them from Heintz Music during the Week of Handbells). Please CLEARLY label or mark them in such a way that you (and others) are able to identify them (both of them). Colored pieces of yarn work well, but if you drop one it may not find its way back to you if there is no name or group marking. I often go home with extra mallets! A Cotton Bag/Tote: Thursday night after the concert, have a bag to quickly put all your personal things in to keep them together (especially those pesky mallets) after the concert and before the stage teardown. Polishing Cloths: We do polish—the more often the better. When temps are high it tends to show up on the bells. It would be awesome if each ringer would be responsible to polish their bells at the end of every day and before the Thursday PM concert. People who allow us to borrow their bells want their equipment returned in great condition. POLISH them (also, if you note something breaking in your bell at any time tell Sue Cobb, Equipment Manager). If you can’t grab a polishing cloth from your church or community group that you ring in you may purchase a brand new one from Heintz Music.

I’m trying to eliminate bringing any paper copies of anything to Bay View. Hopefully the registration table will consist of your name tag and your clothing order, if you made one.

See you in fouor week! Carmen