Re: [HB-L] Digest for handbell-l@googlegroups.com - 4 updates in 1 topic

[bellmasterdb]

Hi Chris

I pretty much agree with what has been said before. Rather than having your ringers sign your “Rules” paper, think you would do better perhaps having a Saturday morning retreat or Sunday afternoon, get together sight read some music (for now, I would keep each ringer on the same bells - they can try other bells later, but not for now. Collectively have everyone create the “Rules” page.  Of course, you need to have some suggested rules in your head prior to your Retreat, but only suggest yours after every one has made their suggestions!  This does have to be a group activity to be effective!!  Once completed, then they can all sign the original sheet(s) together, which is better than each signing a single sheet - everyone can see everyone’s name on the paper at the same time; much more effective.  

Be sure to have ringers only ring 2 bells w/their #’s and b’s (flats)!  As was mentioned before, having even 2 bells gone is indeed like trying to play piano without those 2 keys and can be a problem for all who need one or both of those missing bells to know when, how loud, what technique, to use, etc.!!

For what it’s worth,

Doug Benton

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 18, 2026, at 3:22 PM, handb...@googlegroups.com wrote:



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• Bell assignments and a quitter - 4 Updates

Bell assignments and a quitter

C.T. Hogan <ctth...@gmail.com>: Jan 18 10:31AM -0800 Hi all, This is my first post and I'm dealing with problems caused by one ringer.   I have a hand-bell ringer who insists we must always follow standard hand-bell assignments even though we have 9-10 ringers not 8 or 11. I say that only applies when we have the perfect amount of ringers. It takes us ~6 rehearsals to play a level 2 piece; everyone is pretty much an amateur. Am I off-base wanting everyone to participate, rather than cutting out 1-2 people? How do you build an ensemble if you exclude people? What do other choirs do in this circumstance?   Also, she quit one week before our Christmas performance because of this. I don’t want her back after she left us in the lurch; but rumor suggests she’s going to try to get back in. I now think I need a code of conduct for everyone to sign in order to participate in any of the church’s five music groups. Who’s being unreasonable? Me or the ringer? Should I let her back in without consequences? Does anyone else have codes of conduct?   Thanks for your thoughts, Chris

gj berg <ladys...@gmail.com>: Jan 18 12:38PM -0800 I was directing a beginning (as in I was their first director after getting bells) church group. The group decided to include one older gentleman even though he was not a good ringer as the **fellowship and community** of a hansbell ensemble were more important than perfect music.   But it was a group decision, not a unilateral one.   Sounds like a group discussion is needed to get things expressed and a decision made regarding these issues. Then you can put a document together describing how things work and allow everyone to sign that they understand this.   __ Tread lightly on dreams

THOMAS SIMPSON <ftsi...@aol.com>: Jan 18 01:17PM -0800 Hello!   I have a Ringer that joins every fall, and then gets upset at Christmas, and then drops out in the spring. It's getting tiresome. Sigh. But I've always told him he's welcome to come back, because, well it's church.   Approach her first. Tell her you hear she wants to come back, and if that's true, you two need to speak about the expectations going forward.   About your assignment problem, you tell them you're in charge of assignments. You know what's best for the group, and if they have a problem with it, you're happy to speak with them privately. Then don't say anything about it again.   Thomas   On Jan 18, 2026, at 12:38 PM, gj berg <ladys...@gmail.com> wrote:      I was directing a beginning (as in I was their first director after getting bells) church group. The group decided to include one older gentleman even though he was not a good ringer as the **fellowship and community** of a hansbell ensemble were more important than perfect music.   But it was a group decision, not a unilateral one.   Sounds like a group discussion is needed to get things expressed and a decision made regarding these issues. Then you can put a document together describing how things work and allow everyone to sign that they understand this.   __   Tread lightly on dreams   On Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 12:17 CT Hogan <ctth...@gmail.com> wrote:   Hi all,   This is my first post and I'm dealing with problems caused by one ringer.   I have a hand-bell ringer who insists we must always follow standard hand-bell assignments even though we have 9-10 ringers not 8 or 11. I say that only applies when we have the perfect amount of ringers. It takes us ~6 rehearsals to play a level 2 piece; everyone is pretty much an amateur. Am I off-base wanting everyone to participate, rather than cutting out 1-2 people? How do you build an ensemble if you exclude people? What do other choirs do in this circumstance?   Also, she quit one week before our Christmas performance because of this. I don't want her back after she left us in the lurch; but rumor suggests she's going to try to get back in. I now think I need a code of conduct for everyone to sign in order to participate in any of the church's five music groups. Who's being unreasonable? Me or the ringer? Should I let her back in without consequences? Does anyone else have codes of conduct?   Thanks for your thoughts,   Chris   --   Post: handb...@googlegroups.com   Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com   Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com   Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"   ---   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.   To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.   To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/2c34a4a0-2214-42ab-9a22-1b2ce6e96673n%40googlegroups.com.   --   Post: handb...@googlegroups.com   Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com   Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com   Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"   ---   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.   To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.   To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/CAMx2gr4yuuRA3ynO9djdLX1BdM_N6mf9RpoQ4iezxn67pYj%3DLw%40mail.gmail.com.

Barbara Robinson <barbarad...@gmail.com>: Jan 18 04:38PM -0500 People can't expect to walk in and out like they feel like it.   Make an announcement to everyone that it's not fair to your neighbors if you just leave.   Can you play a piece on a piano with half the keys missing. The piece of music will sound like nothing.   It doesn't hurt to have people sign a waiver so they know what is expected. Sure emergencies arise, but she sounds like she doesn't know what she is doing and just leaving. Good Luck!   Barbara, NJ   Sent from my iPhone   On Jan 18, 2026, at 4:18 PM, 'THOMAS SIMPSON' via Handbell-l <handb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:    Hello!   I have a Ringer that joins every fall, and then gets upset at Christmas, and then drops out in the spring. It's getting tiresome. Sigh. But I've always told him he's welcome to come back, because, well it's church.   Approach her first. Tell her you hear she wants to come back, and if that's true, you two need to speak about the expectations going forward.   About your assignment problem, you tell them you're in charge of assignments. You know what's best for the group, and if they have a problem with it, you're happy to speak with them privately. Then don't say anything about it again.   Thomas   On Jan 18, 2026, at 12:38 PM, gj berg <ladys...@gmail.com> wrote:      I was directing a beginning (as in I was their first director after getting bells) church group. The group decided to include one older gentleman even though he was not a good ringer as the **fellowship and community** of a hansbell ensemble were more important than perfect music.   But it was a group decision, not a unilateral one.   Sounds like a group discussion is needed to get things expressed and a decision made regarding these issues. Then you can put a document together describing how things work and allow everyone to sign that they understand this.   __   Tread lightly on dreams   On Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 12:17 CT Hogan <ctth...@gmail.com> wrote:   Hi all,   This is my first post and I'm dealing with problems caused by one ringer.   I have a hand-bell ringer who insists we must always follow standard hand-bell assignments even though we have 9-10 ringers not 8 or 11. I say that only applies when we have the perfect amount of ringers. It takes us ~6 rehearsals to play a level 2 piece; everyone is pretty much an amateur. Am I off-base wanting everyone to participate, rather than cutting out 1-2 people? How do you build an ensemble if you exclude people? What do other choirs do in this circumstance?   Also, she quit one week before our Christmas performance because of this. I don't want her back after she left us in the lurch; but rumor suggests she's going to try to get back in. I now think I need a code of conduct for everyone to sign in order to participate in any of the church's five music groups. Who's being unreasonable? Me or the ringer? Should I let her back in without consequences? Does anyone else have codes of conduct?   Thanks for your thoughts,   Chris   --   Post: handb...@googlegroups.com   Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com   Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com   Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"   ---   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.   To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.   To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/2c34a4a0-2214-42ab-9a22-1b2ce6e96673n%40googlegroups.com.   --   Post: handb...@googlegroups.com   Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com   Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com   Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"   ---   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.   To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.   To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/CAMx2gr4yuuRA3ynO9djdLX1BdM_N6mf9RpoQ4iezxn67pYj%3DLw%40mail.gmail.com.   --   Post: handb...@googlegroups.com   Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com   Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com   Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"   ---   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.   To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.   To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/handbell-l/CB8E9706-F26F-4EB2-A035-953C66DE285F%40aol.com.

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