Southern California Spring Ring 2009 - Repertoire

"It's Easier than It Looks..."

... Yep, that's the subtitle for the Spring Ring. Believing you're a Level <pick a number> choir or ringer doesn't have to mean you can't ring outside of what someone else (or you yourself) consider to be your "defined boundary". Musical endeavors are all about exceeding your limits, and exploring new and fun places "because they're there."

There are new and wonderful resources out there for us as well, and this year's Spring Ring repertoire is aimed at familiarizing you with some of them.

• The "traditional" way to get handbell music has been the "conventional publisher" route: Find out what you're going to be ringing, and then go to one of the companies that stock music and buy it from them.
  
  
• One of our alternative resources is LifeWay Christian Resources (www.lifeway.com). They have a wonderful publication, Handbells magazine, that contains seven to nine arrangements in each quarterly issue. You're required to buy one copy for each of your binders ($6.95 per copy). While it costs a bit more than most single scores you'll see, you come out ahead if you use just two of the pieces in the issue. We'll be using one of the pieces here, and hope that you'll like your investment enough to get a subscription!
  
  
• The Internet has revolutionized our lives in many ways, and now this is happening to the handbell world with the advent of Web-based handbell publishers. The folks who run these Web sites publish great music, and often it's of a type that the "conventional" publishers can't fit into their publication schedules. Because of the paradigm under which they work, Internet publishers are able to publish more titles per year than conventional publishers, and often sell them at somewhat lower prices. One of our more unusual pieces is from an Internet publisher; for this event you must order and pay for one copy per folder - just the same way as from a conventional publisher - but you also have the option of hardcopy shipping or PDF download.

Don't let the difficulty ratings frighten you! There are rehearsal notes to help you prepare (please, please, please practice ahead of time so we can maximize out fun!), and so you can enjoy this year's Southern Califrornia Spring Ring. Think "fun" and be intrepid - be ready for a wonderful new adventure!