Rehearsal was amazing and tough! I got so much feedback on things I could do musically and getting my ringing to come out just right. It will by no means be easy, but I'm really excited about all the new things I will learn this semester.
About Me
- Michele Meenk
- I'm a musical gal from a musical family. I've been playing piano for 20 years and ringing bells for 18. I taught myself saxophone in Jr High, and have toyed around on other reed instruments. I'm in the process of teaching myself guitar. I was not a music major in college because I thought I would grow to hate music if I made it my profession, so I studied psychology instead. I'm now in the process of applying to a Master's degree program in music therapy (silly of me to not take music before, huh?). Music is in my heart and soul, and handbells definitely dominate my passion for music. I find something magical in holding a bell in my hand, and I'm in awe when a group of 13 people stands at a table and brings a set of bronze bells to life. I learned to play bells in elementary school, and I definitely believe that bells are great for young and budding musicians. It is my dream to start a music therapy program and community education program to bring bells and music to kids who might not have opportunities to experience how much fun music truly is.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Thursday, August 20, 2015
A New Challenge
My first week in
Sonos, and I've already come up against a new challenge (other than keeping up
with more challenging music and better ringers than me)! There's a set of 4 pieces we play in which I
need to thumb damp both bells while playing 4-i-H (that's 4 in hand, for those
unfamiliar with the abbreviation). For
the past 13 years, I've been playing 4-i-H with the ring/knock (ring and push,
per Michéle Sharik) style of 4-i-H. I
love this style, and I'm super comfortable with it. However, it is definitely not ideal for
trying to thumb damp two bells in the same hand (or thumb damping the secondary
bell at all if it's larger than a 7). At
least not for me. So, I was shown a
different way to hold 4-i-H bells, that
is what Michéle Sharik calls interlocked British/Japanese style 4-i-H. It is messing with my head quite a bit. I know I will get it, but it's going to take
a lot of work before it's comfortable.
My biggest struggle so far has been getting both bells to ring together
in this set up.
Technique Practice with Annabelle
Watching Michéle Sharik's technique video and working on 4-i-H skills.
(For those who like making wisecracks, I'm working, Annabelle is just getting her picture taken so she could be in her first official post.)
Ready to Ring
Bells are a huge part of my life. Other passions have come and gone; my interest in other "hobbies" waxes and wanes. I've rung bells for nearly 20 years (about 3/4 of my life) and from the day I started, I haven't stopped, not for a moment. I'm starting this blog now because I'm turning a corner in my bell ringing. This summer I auditioned for two professional groups and made it into both! Sadly this means temporarily leaving the community group I've played with for the past 13 years, but I definitely will be returning to them as soon as my schedule permits. Opus (the community group) is my family. I grew up as ringer with them, and I'm not ready to move on from the group permanently. However, as a musician and ringer, I needed something more than Opus to push me to be a better ringer. For this reason, I auditioned for two professional groups, and I was accepted into both of them. I say this with a measure of excitement and nervousness. This will be a big stretch for me as a ringer and I'm both excited and nervous for that. Oh, the two groups are Sonos and Velocity. I will definitely be posting about both groups as I get into rehearsals and performances.
Ok, so a few items I want to cover. As I launch into these two new groups, I am also striving to be more involved in the handbell world. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before to make handbells a bigger part of my life, but up until now it's just been a little hobby I do. My involvement in the handbell world has not reflected my passion for this uncommon instrument. I definitely plan on changing that. For starters, I'm working toward getting my handbell certification. I also plan on doing more events. This will all ultimately culminate in what I have determined to do with my life, which is use handbells in music therapy.
So, what does all this mean for this blog? I learn best by teaching. I remember things better when I write about them. I plan on writing posts about my certification classes, Sonos and Velocity, my personal preferences in music, things I've learned and continue to learn as a ringer and musician, and anything else bell related I can think of.
This brings me to my final point for this post. I have an introduction to make. This is Annabelle:
Ok, so a few items I want to cover. As I launch into these two new groups, I am also striving to be more involved in the handbell world. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before to make handbells a bigger part of my life, but up until now it's just been a little hobby I do. My involvement in the handbell world has not reflected my passion for this uncommon instrument. I definitely plan on changing that. For starters, I'm working toward getting my handbell certification. I also plan on doing more events. This will all ultimately culminate in what I have determined to do with my life, which is use handbells in music therapy.
So, what does all this mean for this blog? I learn best by teaching. I remember things better when I write about them. I plan on writing posts about my certification classes, Sonos and Velocity, my personal preferences in music, things I've learned and continue to learn as a ringer and musician, and anything else bell related I can think of.
This brings me to my final point for this post. I have an introduction to make. This is Annabelle:
A very good friend custom built Annabelle for me. Annabelle will be accompanying me to all things handbell from now on. As my sort of bell mascot, there will be many pictures of Annabelle and her adventures.
So that's it. Hopefully bell people out there find me, non-bell people are welcome, too! Whoever finds this blog, I hope you enjoy!
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