Rehearse on a stool?

[Charles Peery]

Hi, all,

I was just curious.. call me Ebenezer if you like.. but... throughout the last four years of directing a community/auditioned group, I've had a couple of people who seem to require a stool for rehearsal. Sometimes temporarily, sometime longer. I do not allow it in performance, although one time somebody pulled it on me without consulting me. Granted, I think they do have real health issues that lead to a significant amount of discomfort. I'm in no way thinking they're being lazy. That being said, the tone that seems to result is affected because the bells are being under-rung from a seated position without the athleticism which I think is part of the whole deal. Again, not to be crabby, but the whole ringing sitting down thing seems to lead to a very casual approach... as if one is picking up a bell now and then while sitting at a bar with a cigarette and a martini. (I'm not knocking that!)
Has anyone encountered this before.. and what do you think should be the policy for an auditioned group?

Thanks,
Chuck in St. Louis

[Kevin Stewart]

I have one ringer who has back problems. She usually stands and deals with
the discomfort, although, there have been times where I informed her that
she would use a stool to rehearse. She directs one of the younger choirs and
actually directed from a stool one year. This however, is the exception.

We don't have chairs or stools available in the rehearsal area and we stand
throughout rehearsals and presentations. There is a visual that is lost
without standing, although, I suppose one could make the extra effort to
ring with enthusiasm if it was necessary to be seated.

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[Barbara Robinson]

I have encountered sitting while ringing usually for temporary medical conditions. The individuals would sit for rehearsal time,but when actually performing they would stand.  However never had to confront this issue for an entire concert.

[Lee G.Barrow]

My first thought is that 90% of orchestra and band musicians always
perform while sitting. It's very difficult if not impossible to play
some instruments (like bassoon or cello) without sitting. No one would
think these musicians are automatically being too casual just because
they are in a chair.

It all depends on how they sit, which can range from relaxed slumping to
alert and on the edge of the seat.

Having said that, I think that ringers should stand while performing,
with minor exceptions for documented health issues.

Lee Barrow

[gj berg]

In my three-generation church choir, we have had 1-2 folks with health issues that require them sitting (most of the time) -- especially rehearsals.

Whether or not they perform seated depends, in part, on the length of the piece and any logistics (e.g., come up and stand for 3 minutes during hymn/praise singing immediately before).

FTR, I rarely have issues with this ringer's playing.  (She had knee replacement in January.)

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gj berg
Go SHARKS!!!

[Linda Ashley]

I have a few stools available for some of my ringers as a couple of
them are in their seventies and eighties with hip and knee issues. I
have no problem with them sitting between numbers and during rehersal
if needed. They stand when they need to, without my having to prompt
them. My kids try to sit on them at times, but are usually compliant
when I explain their purpose.

Linda Ashley
Omaha

[lee waggener]

There are many different reasons for forming a bell choir, and each one often requires a different mindset on the part of the conductor.  We have stools for everyone in our bell room.  Currently we have 26 ringers ranging from 12 to over 80, and some have played with us for over 35 years.  We do have health problems in the group.  We also have general fatigue that comes with age.  We encourage sitting down when we're explaining something or doing business.  A few need to sit once in a while when they play.  With a few exceptions, we have always stood to perform.

I think we are more concerned with the wonderful camaraderie in the group and the desire to allow long time members to play as long as possible.  We also modify parts and enlarge music if necessary.

Our main goal in our program is to encourage participation, especially for those who have not had the opportunity to participate in music groups in the past.  Of course we love to find musicians who want to play, but the reality is that most church members will probably not have serious music study in their past.  Every once in a while a Claremont college student lands in our midst, some with music training and some with none.  This has resulted in very interesting challenges for the directors, and has also led to a very fulfilling job of teaching such a mixed group.

I sang once with a terrific choral director who very deliberately planned when the choir stood and when they sat.  He believed that changing positions was energizing to the group.  We also find that frequently changing positions helps avoid fatigue and keeps minds alert.

We have the luxury of a bell room that is permanently set up.  The youth choir does not use stools.  However, I have found that a spontaneous reward of getting to sit and play when they have been especially attentive is very effective.  It only happens about once every 3 months!

Our thinking about bell choirs has evolved over 40+ years of working at the same church, and right now we seem to have struck a satisfying balance between working to perform at the highest level possible for the groups and doing our best to teach music to those who have very little previous experience.  We welcome everyone who will commit to the rehearsal schedule, and that means plenty of retired folks who now have time.  Our group has aged, just as our church members are aging, and we work to make accommodations when necessary.  Stools to us are a small part of keeping ringers happy and comfortable so that their minds are open to learning.

Lee and Bill Waggener

Handbell Directors

Claremont UCC

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[Rima Greer]

There's no sitting in handbells.

Rima
Persons with actual disabilities excluded
Www.campanilemusic.com

Sent from my iPad

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[Nancy Hascall]

On May 14, 2012, at 5:22 AM, Charles Peery wrote:

Has anyone encountered this before.. and what do you think should be the policy for an auditioned group?

I think the key word in Chuck's question is "auditioned group."   I assume you hold auditions to ensure that everyone in the group is qualified to ring at a particular level, and won't hold the ensemble back when it comes to making the best music possible.  If that is the case, then it is reasonable to expect every ringer to stand throughout rehearsals and performances (except perhaps to rest for a moment while the director is explaining something or rehearsing another part of the choir.)   If they can't or aren't willing to stand throughout the rehearsal, how is that different from not having the skills to pass the audition?  In an auditioned group, expectations need to be very clear.  (I would make an exception to the "standing rule" only if an otherwise able ringer were temporarily impaired due to an injury or illness, and expected to return to full capacity within a reasonable amount of time.)

Typically most church bell choirs are not auditioned, and have a different focus, which is as much a ministry to the ringers as to the congregation for which they play.   If this is the case, then we may rightly choose to be more inclusive, and allow elderly or infirm ringers to do whatever they need to do to participate.  Of course it's a harder call when someone is actually holding back the group, or damaging morale.   

I have an aging ringer in my church group right now who is clearly no longer an asset from a musical standpoint.  But she has rung and been a staunch supporter of the bell program for 30-some years, and would probably dry up and blow away if she weren't allowed to ring.   She sits frequently, and though I regularly encourage her to stand, and am not shy about pointing out to her that I can't hear her bells when she is sitting, I don't see how I can "make" her stand for two hours when she's in pain.  (I also don't understand why she still wants to continue to ring when it's so uncomfortable, but she clearly does.)  I've given up hope she will ever choose to quit, and decided the only compassionate solution is to find enough ringers so there's always  someone available to double her part.  She seldom rings very loud anyway, leaves out a lot of notes, and in performance often gets so flustered and lost that she stops playing altogether.   I figure with a double, she could probably keep on "ringing" until she's 99 without doing much damage.   Anybody want to join us next fall?   (Portland Oregon -- and you wouldn't always have to be the double -- we switch parts a lot!)

:-)  Nancy Hascall

[Paul Kinney]

I rang while sitting on a stool for a full year. My leg hurt when I stood
(the problem was never diagnosed) and after a painful concert I bought
a stool. It stayed in my trunk and came out for both my church bell
choir (which I lead) and Detroit Handbell Ensemble. I sat for both
rehearsals and concerts. One of many doctors finally suggested I try
putting a brace over the leg. I later found a simple strap was adequate.
I still use the strap and can now stand during long rehersals without pain.

This was a choice between ringing while seated or not ringing. In the case
of DHE I doubt there was someone waiting in the wings hoping for an open
spot, so from the director's point of view it was a choice between me
ringing while seated or not having enough ringers. There were a couple times
our director requested I ring a particular piece during a concert while
standing. I don't think I honored that request.

One of the top ringers in DHE had foot problems a couple years ago and
that included surgery. She still uses a stool during rehearsal and I think she
still uses it in performance. She is such a fine ringer it would be a big blow to
the group if someone said, "Sorry, you'll have to drop out until you can stand."

Paul Kinney
Detroit Handbell Ensemble
First UMC Garden City, MI

[Jim Rossetti]

Chuck,

I think Nancy properly cut to the chase, Chuck. You said it's an
AUDITIONED group. That being the case, I trust this person's audition
would have been unsuccessful if they had taken the audition while
seated. Since we're talking about an auditioned community group that
is hopefully looking to improve and continually ring with greater
musicality, then one who is seated regularly will not perform well and
will be holding back the progress of the group. I would view that as
unfair to the rest of the group. (Temporary disabilities excepted of
course.) I hope that your charter allows for yearly auditions and
one who cannot perform up to the standards to which the group has
established will have to move on to play elsewhere.
When it comes to performance, I think nothing is sadder than one who
may be past their prime but does not realize it's time to "hang up the
spikes." Or gloves in our case.

Jim Rossetti
Area 2 Past Chair

[Sue Nelson]

Haven't read up, but...  We have 4 people that find it difficult to stand throughout the whole rehearsal due to health issues.   I bought Torin stools. They are sturdy, even, and have a pneumatic seat adjustment.  The only thing is they do not adjust down far enough, so we had to cut the legs some for shorter folks.  I'm 5'6", and it's just a bit too high for me.  Here's a link.  We bought the same stool in black.  We only use them for rehearsal, not performance.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200470154_200470154

Sue 

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www.susantnelson.com

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From: Charles Peery <cep...@earthlink.net>
To: handb...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2012 8:22 AM

Subject: [HB-L] Rehearse on a stool?

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[Long...@aol.com]

I, too, have a ringer who sits on a stool for part of our rehearsals but not for performances. This ringer is also quite tall and has some fused neck vertebrae, and bifocal issues - so cannot tip the head down enough to see the music on the tables (we do not use risers for our books.) So we fashioned a subtle 4" riser. The challenge is, we move positions for most pieces, so the riser also goes with the ringer.

 

We have also made 3" table blocks, to raise all table height for all (got this idea from Bells of the Sound.)

 

In the future, I believe I will create a single position for this ringer, so the moving part will be a non-issue.

 

I did see, at a concert at Nat'l Seminar one year, a performing group with a wheelchair-seated ringer. Her table area was indeed lower than the rest.

 

Kath Wissinger

 

MOSAIC's "Ringing for Habitat" Concert, Sat., May 19 at 7 p.m.

Mass. Pres. Church, Harrisonburg, Va.