Regina Tower Bell
The curriculum of the
Regina Bell Ringer Tower Bell Training Course is designed to produce a
professional tower bell ringer. The course operates primarily in the
experiential and cognitive domains of education.
I. Experiential Domain
A. Rounds
Rounds are a very simple
practice of tower bell ringing. The technique involved is very elementary. New
apprentices begin by attempting to play one round. As this playing of one round
is perfected, a task of being able to play 12 perfect rounds is given to the
apprentice. This is usually accomplished in the time of one month to one year.
The 12 perfect rounds means that the rounds will be joined together in perfect
rhythm and the tempo of the first round will be that of the last round.
B. Handbells
Many towers practice new
music on handbells. This saves their audience from hearing the unpolished forms
of their repertoire. Tower bell apprentices are expected to be proficient in
the very basic techniques of handbell playing, in order to participate with
other tower bell ringers in the situation of practicing on handbells. There are
two benchmarks for handbell playing. One benchmark is known as playing one
handbell which is equivalent to performing with the handbell choir five times
or obtaining the level zero handbell apprentice designation. The second
benchmark in handbell playing is known as playing two handbells. This is
equivalent to performing 20 times with the handbell choir or having a
designation of level one handbell apprentice. The ultimate objective of this
part of the training course is to have confidence that the bell ringer can
shift the music from the tower situation to that of a handbell situation and
give professional leadership in doing so.
In order to establish an
attitude of care and respect for the bells, the polishing of each handbell
owned by the Regina Bell ringers at least once is expected by the tower bell
ringers. Tower bell ringers will receive questions about the care, polishing
and maintenance of handbells. Therefore, they should be familiar with the
handling of the bells.
C. Maintenance
There are
four benchmarks in the maintenance program of the tower bell ringer. First of
which is proving to the bell ringers that they are able to sustain a cleaning
program within the tower ringing room. This is important for a bell ringer
since the interface to the public is often made through the ringing room and
cleanliness of that room is important for tower bell image. In addition, if the
tower bell ringing room is not clean, those sharing that space with the ringer
are unable to function due to clutter and disorganization. When the bell
ringers are convinced that the attitude and abilities of the bell ringer are
sufficient to keep the tower room clean, then that benchmark is achieved.
Tower Bell
The second benchmark is one
of cleaning the tower bells. This is a maintenance program which involves
removal of the pollution (usually acidic) from the bells with soap and water,
then applying a thin film of oil to the outer portions of the bell to protect
them for the next year from the pollutants. This process is very laborious and
time consuming, as well as requiring a certain degree of skill to get close to
the bells. Cleaning at least 8 out of the 12 bells will provide a completion of
this benchmark.
When a bell becomes
dysfunctional due to something wrong with the mechanics of the instrument, the
bell ringer is expected to repair it. This includes the replacing of ropes,
sleeves, and un-jamming of pulleys and joints. This benchmark is achieved when
the bell ringers are convinced that the apprentice can correct any malfunction
within the bell's ringing mechanism.
The final benchmark in
maintenance is one of creativity and development. The apprentice is expected to
improve the tower with some improvement project. In the past, projects have
been ones of building catwalks, installing ladders, insulating the walls, and
installing elaborate antique woodwork within the tower. Improvement project
should be approved by the bell ringers before they are begun.
D. Weddings
There are
traditions associated with the playing at a wedding. These traditions are the
wedding rounds and wedding clashes. The apprentice should be aware of these
traditions both when they are performed and how they are performed. In addition
to these traditional activities, the apprentice should have a repertoire of at
least 20 selections which are appropriate for wedding use. A bell ringer will
usually have apprentices assist at weddings several times before being
convinced that the apprentice is of the caliber required to perform at a
wedding by their self.
E. Tolling
Tolling is
performed primarily in funeral situations and only at the discretion of the
bell ringer and upon request of some party involved in the funeral situation. A
tolling tradition exists within the group, that of tolling the bell once for
every day that a monarch has reigned upon their death provided that they are
reigning at the time of their death. Tolling is also done on Good Friday for
1/2 hour. The apprentice must prove that they must be able to show that they
can alter the ringing mechanisms on the bells for the tolling situation and
return the mechanism back to its normal clocking situation in order to have
accomplished this benchmark.
F. Programs
The
production of a concert program is expected to be a skill found in any of the
tower bell ringers. This skill must be perfected enough that they are able to
guide their apprentices in the production of such a program. This means that
biographical notes on the ringer or apprentice must be apprentice must be prepared
and the organization of musical selections, with the appropriate documentation
attached to them, is available for the typist to prepare a program. The other
portion of this benchmark is the distribution of the programs. Distribution of
tower bell programs is a difficult job and the art of doing this task is only
learned after many hours of experience. Therefore, both creation and
distribution of programs are looked for in this benchmark.
G. Tours
One of the
jobs that tower bell ringers are regularly called upon to do is give a tour of
the bell tower. The Regina Bell ringers expect those giving the tour of the
bell tower to be aware of:
- Some of the architectural
oddities of the church.
- Knox Metropolitan's musical
program.
- Tradition of tower bell ringing
within
- A history of the Darke Memorial
Chimes. Basic safety precautions in giving the tour are emphasized and no
apprentice will pass the tour part of the course without demonstrating that
safety is the primary concern while giving the tour.
II. Cognitive
A. Performance
1. Singing Songs
The singing
song system is one in which the junior bell apprentice plays one bell while
other bell ringers play the remaining bells in the song. In order to work as a
team, the numbers and notes of the song are sung out primarily by the junior
bell ringer. There are 2 objectives in this exercise. One is to introduce the
junior bell ringer into ringing techniques slowly so that our audience is not
disrupted with poor playing and secondly the bell ringer becomes part of the
team of tower bell ringers.
2. The Ten Crosses
This is a
series of 10 assignments designed to teach the intermediate apprentice the
basic techniques of interval series and those of rhythm. A passing grade of
approximately 70% is expected for these assignments, since they are to prepare
the apprentice psychologically for the bell ringer exam which is much more
demanding both technically and intellectually on them.
3. The Bell
The passing
grade for the bell ringer exam is 100%, acknowledged by 2 different examiners.
The bell ringer exam comes in 3 parts. Part 1 is the assignment of 12 musical
selections that the bell ringer must learn. The selections are usually chosen
by a group effort. The second part is a collection of choices. Every active
bell ringer, who is not the primary teacher of the apprentice, gives the
apprentice one song to learn. The apprentice's teacher gives him an alternative
to that song to learn of approximately the same degree of difficulty. The
apprentice is expected to practice both songs, but only needs to obtain
perfection on one out of each pair. The third part of the exam is playing of a
change with each of the other bell ringers. When each bell ringer is satisfied
that he can be a good team player in changes with the apprentice, he will pass
him on that section of the exam.
There is no time limit on
the exam.
B. Music Writing
There is a
certain amount of theory needed to transpose and transcribe music to the tower
bells. The concept of key signatures (circle of fifths) is needed in order to
transpose music into the key of "c". Once music is in the key of
"c", then the simple transcription of musical notation is all that's
required. This is all the basic theory that is needed for a tower bell ringer.
It is equivalent to the theory needed to pass the level 1 handbell exam
augmented with the knowledge of tower bell notation.
Tower bell ringers are expected
to know the basic rules of hand bell notation. In order to prove that they know
these rules, one transcription from choral music to handbell music is expected.
There are many change
patterns. Knowledge of the plain hunt change is all that is required of the
tower bell apprentice. In order to prove that they have this knowledge, 4 to 6
changes must be written out. The plain hunt change could be used in all
examples, but other change patterns are encouraged.
Two pieces of music must be
arranged for tower bells, one of which must not be originally in the key of
"C" major or "A" minor.
C. History
Since bell
ringing is loosely associated with the rest of the musical community, it is
important that some historical perspective of the music industry be gained by
the professional bell ringer. In order to establish historical perspective on
bell music, the following tasks are assigned. Write a small essay paper on a
composer and his contributions to music, which lived and worked prior to 1750.
Write an essay on a
composer that lived and worked after 1750 (in the case of Bach one paper can
not serve as both assignments).
It is important that the
bell ringers have in their mind about 10 historical facts regarding the
development of bells. Usually, these facts are brought out as the bell ringers
give the tours, yet many times it is not possible to evaluate a historical
knowledge of bells unless an assignment is given. An assignment on the history
of bells in the form of an essay or time line can be used as an evaluation.
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Revised: August 18, 2005