Roundtable: Between the Music
Sunday, January 29, 2023 • 5:45 PM EST
Presenter: Jason Krug
We all know that the most vital part of any concert is the music, but what about everything that ISN’T music? What about all those things that happen between the end of one song and the start of the next? Come join this interactive discussion as we brainstorm ways to make everything that happens between the music just as interesting and entertaining as the songs themselves!
About Jason
Jason W. Krug (b. 1978) is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jason is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Since his first publication in 2006, he’s had over 400 compositions and arrangements accepted for handbells, piano, strings, organ, and choir. His works have been featured at numerous festivals and workshops in the United States and beyond. He is also the owner and editor for Grassy Meadow Music, which publishes sheet music for handbells, piano, and strings. In his spare time, Jason enjoys writing. He has spent several years working on a young adult fantasy series, The Sadonian Chronicles, and recently released his first non-fiction book, The General Theory of Creativity. He frequently participates in the National Novel Writing Month event in November. Jason continues to live in Indianapolis with his wife Ellen and his sons Daniel and Malcolm. You can find him on the web at jasonwkrug.com and grassymeadowmusic.com
00:15:29 Kathy Todd (she,her,hers): Between songs has to do with how long the choir needs to set up.
00:16:08 Kathy Todd (she,her,hers): One can do patter after the first song – doesn’t have to be before.
00:18:30 Sue Boarman: The community group I ring with uses an emcee to talk between pieces. He gives an intro to the next piece. I feel it is a bit boring sometimes, however.
00:19:46 Sharon Guilliams: No
00:22:10 dp: Do you offer a welcome and ‘thank you’ for coming but don’t go into an intro of first song.?
00:22:55 Kathy Todd (she,her,hers): The explanation of the first piece can come after that piece.
00:22:59 Denise Baustian: That is true, normally we say something before the last song and then play the last song.
00:23:37 Sam Strasser: Before
– Tintab often gets to a venue 2 hours early to set up and do sound checks, then we greet audience members and hang out with them as they come in. 5-10 minutes before the concert starts we all sort of slowly trickle off and disappear somewhere and start to set up for the opening piece (often a processional but not always). We don’t usually make a formal intro or announcements, the exception is sometimes the pastor of the church we’re playing at wants to introduce us.
Between
– We do what we call “narrations” in between each song. The first narration usually introduces the theme of the concert, and there is usually a plug for our merch table in there somewhere. But otherwise we encourage people to get creative. Most often it’s personal stories that we share, sometimes related to bells or music but not often. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s more somber, we spend a lot of time thinking about which narration should go with which piece (and we practice it a lot ahead of time). We did an audience surve
00:24:03 Gillian Erlenborn: With my school concerts, I like to have my students do the talking because that’s who my audience is there to see. It also gives the audience a chance to feel like they are “meeting the performers”. It also gives my students the chance to do some historical and musical research to write their own “program notes”.
00:24:04 Sharon Kirry: I have my ringers practice quick set ups during rehearsal. I don’t feel a need to talk before each piece as I think it is actually interesting to the audience to watch the set up process.
00:25:54 Erik: for one concert, my director organized it with two pieces in a row with no patter and limited bell transitions, then describe the previous piece, intro the next piece, then another two in a row (like a radio DJ would do)
00:27:46 Sharon Guilliams: Erik- I have done this as well, it depends on the pieces and the set up.
00:28:40 loisbell: Does anyone briefly explain what bellringing is all about?
00:28:48 Carlene Ruesenberg: We are often introduced by the venue’s host, and then we process to the tables with a procession that is from the first piece. Then our director introduces the piece afterwards before introducing the next piece.
00:29:14 judyganz: We sometimes would have a bio of the ringers in the program
00:29:40 Sharon Guilliams: I have done that
00:29:43 Carlene Ruesenberg: @judyganz, we do that as well
00:33:22 Denise Baustian: Our bell choir normally played for the offertory which was immediate followed by the Doxology. Thus, as the organist, I had to quickly move to the organ to come in on that. Our Director would try to change the ending so I had time to move. It worked well in practice, but then I put on my choir robe for church. I had to pass a Christmas tree on my way–the robe caught on the Christmas tree. Fortunately, the pastor noticed and grabbed the tree. Thje others were still playing and I made it back in time to come in on the organ!
00:36:12 Sam Strasser: Tintab does “mallet wars” a month or so before our first performance, it’s akin to a tech rehearsal for any theater people. We start with all of the bells on the table, but everything else off to the side (mallets, chimes, singing sticks, etc). As we play through each piece people will grab what they need and make a note in the respective folder on a sticky note what is needed for that position. By the end we know everything that’s needed for the concert and anything leftover we put it aside.
00:36:34 Sam Strasser: Each person is also supposed to mark what they need for each piece somewhere on the first page of that piece.
00:38:30 dp: I have created a sheet for the percussion section in the Community band that I play in that shows what instrument we are playing for each song. We work to keep transitions quick.
00:40:26 Kathy Todd (she,her,hers): Leonard Bernstein made his reputation doing that (helping the audience)
00:43:20 Sharon Guilliams: I like it!
00:43:23 Gillian Erlenborn: That man is too smart
00:43:39 Sharon Guilliams: Have a bell ring???
00:43:45 Gillian Erlenborn: Have a ringer pretend to sneeze
00:43:50 Sam Strasser: Reacted to “Have a ringer preten…” with ????
00:43:58 David Boardman: I am going to have a ringer scan and then ring a silver desk bell to shut me up.
00:43:59 Carlene Ruesenberg: @Gillian, I love that!
00:47:36 dp: One could try to set the Stopwatch setting on your phone to 30-45 secs. set to vibrate and set it on the director’s stand. Hit reset while playing and start when ready to speak.
00:50:01 Eileen Raycroft: I will donate the money for more paper clips . . .
00:50:05 Eileen Raycroft: Give me their address.
00:50:28 Gillian Erlenborn: Derek…
00:50:40 Sam Strasser: Reacted to “Derek…” with ????
00:51:15 Carlene Ruesenberg: People are more forgiving if it’s kids
00:51:16 Sharon Guilliams: That is something that we as bell ringers need to learn to accept the applause
00:51:36 dp: Very true.
00:51:50 Sharon Guilliams: Don’t just run to the next piece. I am very bad, I know.
00:52:11 Sam Strasser: We practice that a lot, stopping a piece and not immediately turning the page
00:53:32 Sharon Guilliams: Timbre does that.
00:53:55 Erik: I had a director who liked to recite an except from Poe’s “The Bells”
00:54:55 Sue Boarman: I think it depends on the concert theme. Whatever you do in-between needs to fit the theme.
00:55:37 Sharon Guilliams: Side question – who uses slides/power point with their concerts?
00:55:42 Sam Strasser: Are there any bell ringers that are also magicians? ????
00:56:20 Eileen Raycroft: What about something on screen (for those venues that have it)? Takes a lot of coordination, but it could be awesome.
00:57:31 Denise Baustian: I have often wondered about that. It could be quite impressive!
00:58:30 Eileen Raycroft: Reacted to “Are there any bell r…” with ????
01:00:18 Carlene Ruesenberg: Didn’t Agape Ringers do something like that at National Seminar once?
01:02:51 Gillian Erlenborn: But it helps the audience to conceptualize
01:03:00 Gillian Erlenborn: contextualize*
01:03:10 David Boardman: Music for music’s sake.
01:03:26 Sue Boarman: Not all venues have technology options.
01:04:13 David Boardman: We so bombarded with stimulation all the time that a little silence for the audience and us might be a good thing.
01:04:14 Eileen Raycroft: Whatever we do, I feel the most important thing is that it is quality, not schlocky.
01:04:27 Bill Wade (he/him): Bad technology can ruin a concert
01:05:14 Sam Strasser: Was it NASA that banned PowerPoint presentations in meetings or something? Because it became a crutch for bad presentations and disorganized ideas, and people were zoned out and disengaged. If I’m remembering correctly…
01:05:42 Denise Baustian: Word of advice–if you are planning on using Power Point, at some venue other than your own, check out the projector, TV, or whatever is used. I have seen that be quite a problem!
01:05:57 Gillian Erlenborn: I think those silences are important in worship services as well – I need time to let music set in
01:08:25 Kathy Todd (she,her,hers): It may be the difference between written programs and no written programs
01:08:39 Sue Boarman: Thank you!
01:08:48 David Boardman: Thanks Jason and everyone.
01:08:51 Diane Hould: Thank you Jason – lots of good thoughts!
01:08:55 Carlene Ruesenberg: However, symphony concerts often have notes about the music in the program book
01:08:56 dp: Thank you. Some great ideas shared.
01:09:04 loisbell: Thank you Jason
01:09:10 Carlene Ruesenberg: Thank you
01:09:12 Sharon Guilliams: thanks jason
Jason Krug – Jason W. Krug is a native of Indianapolis, IN. He holds a degree in music from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jason is a full-time freelance composer, arranger, clinician, and teacher. Since his first publication in 2006, he’s had over 400 compositions and arrangements accepted for handbells, piano, strings, organ, and choir. His works have been featured at numerous festivals and workshops in the United States and beyond. In his spare time, Jason enjoys writing. He has spent several years working on a young adult fantasy series, The Sadonian Chronicles, and recently released his first non-fiction book, The General Theory of Creativity. He frequently participates in the National Novel Writing Month event in November. Jason continues to live in Indianapolis with his wife, Ellen, and his sons, Daniel and Malcolm. You can find him on the web at jasonwkrug.com. 
Leslie Lewis – Leslie Lewis has been ringing handbells since 1979 when she was introduced to them at the Montreat Worship and Music Conference. Leslie has been ringing in the bass section for Distinctly Bronze East since the event began in 1999 and added Distinctly Bronze West in 2019; she also participated in the Distinctly Bronze European Tour in 2007. She has rung low bass in many area and national All Star Choirs, and at Virtuoso 2017 and 2019, sharing the stage with the Raleigh Ringers for the final concert. Leslie rings with Queen City Ringers based in Charlotte, NC, where she also serves as treasurer, and is treasurer for Area 3 of the Handbell Musicians of America. She enjoys substituting for choirs in the Gastonia and Charlotte areas and dabbles in solo ringing. Having added the lower 6th and 7th octave chimes to her growing set of handbell “toys” she hopes to offer her services to add the lower chimes for groups that don’t have them available once ringing returns to “normal” in the area. After graduating from North Carolina State University with a degree in computer science, Leslie worked for IBM and First Union National Bank for a combined 15 years before turning a part-time role preparing income taxes into a career. Leslie is president of Unified Income Taxes and Accounting, Inc., in Gastonia, NC, where she prepares all types of tax returns and, as an enrolled agent, represents clients during IRS tax audits and appeals. Leslie served as director of commission accounting for a Charlotte-based brokerage firm with branches in seventeen states from 2009 to 2015, when she left to pursue the role of chief accounting officer for a commercial aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul station located in Medley, FL. Other than bells, Leslie enjoys playing golf and walking on the beach as a precursor to life after retirement.
Bruna Marinho – Bruna Marinho is an energetic handbell ringer, pianist, and music teacher based in SãoPaulo, Brazil. She is the founder of Handbells Brasil, an organization that promotes the art of handbells in Brazil through performance and education. Bruna graduated in 2014 with a degree in music education from Catholic University of Santos. Bruna first encountered handbells in 2016 as a part of a music exchange led by Dr. Moorman-Stahlman from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA. Inspired by this experience, she organized a free handbell workshop in Brazil that was attended by about 40 students. Since 2017, Handbells Brasil has played in community venues and churches and has developed music education programs in elementary schools. In 2018, Handbells Brasil received a donation of three octaves of Whitechapel handbells from a church in Pennsylvania and the organization has purchased two octaves of Malmark handchimes. Bruna is the Malmark representative for Brazil. To promote the art of handbells in Brazil, Bruna spent about six months as a music ministry intern at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, in Iowa City, IA, and attended the HMA National Seminar in Grand Rapids, MI. She recently created a series of comedy handbell videos on YouTube as a way to engage people and spread the joy of handbells. 
Stevie Berryman – Stevie Berryman is astonishingly good at the game Boggle. She can fold a fitted sheet so it looks like it came right out of the package. Likewise, her skills as music director and teacher have also been acquired through long hours of arduous and dedicated practice. For much of her career Stevie has directed seven or more ensembles each week, meaning she has 98 years of experience (in dog years). Her effusive energy and wild creativity found a perfect setting in 2013 when she became the Artistic Director of the Houston Chamber Ringers, which has let her smash together her love for music, laughter, and tacos in a truly remarkable way. She has a particular passion for teaching children how to ring, and her innovative methods have made her a sought-after educator at area and national handbell festivals. Stevie loves helping other choirs as a private clinician, or planning epic concerts for them as a creative consultant. Her next step in global domination is to take over the card game world with the company she owns and founded with her husband, Paul, Truly Horrible Things. In real life she is the handbell director at First Congregational Church in Houston, TX.
Lisa Arnold – Lisa Arnold started ringing in 1976 with the Wesley Bell Ringers of Salt Lake City, UT, and toured for four summers, performing in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. The first community handbell ensemble Lisa rang with was Bay Bells in San Jose, CA, and has been a member of the Merrimack Valley Ringers since 2010 when she moved back to New England. Lisa has regularly taught workshops at Area 1 Spring Rings and festivals in topics such as exercises for ringers, bass bell technique, weaving, solo ringing, and handbell notation. Lisa and her husband, Chuck, use handbells as an excuse to travel and ring all over the world. She spends her free time learning Italian and riding bicycles. Lisa serves as Past-Chair of Area 1 of Handbell Musicians of America.
Mark Arnold – Mark Arnold has been an active church musician for most of his life, currently serving as Director of Handbell Ministries at the First Baptist Church of Keller, TX. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas, with bachelor’s degrees in music education and music theory and advanced study in computer science. Mark’s professional experience includes many years of directing handbells, teaching school orchestras, leading adult and children’s choirs, playing horn in community ensembles, and an occasional gig playing bass in jazz or rock groups. In addition to leading workshops and clinics, he has published arrangements for both brass and handbell ensembles. In his “spare” time, he manages software development projects for a major North American transportation provider. Mark and his wife, Robin, have three grown children and reside in Fort Worth, TX.
Ed Rollins – Ed Rollins is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Columbia Handbell Ensemble, a position he has held since 2006. The ensemble has performed on four occasions for HMA national events and numerous regional and area events. For the last 20 months, Ed served as Interim Executive Director of HMA. He has been active in this organization for many years, serving as Missouri State treasurer, Missouri State chair, Area 8 chair on two occasions, area representative to the national board, and President of the board of directors. For 31 years, Ed was associate pastor for music and administration at First Baptist Church of Columbia. During his tenure at the church, he promoted many ecumenical concerts (including the 9/11 Memorial Concert and the 10th Anniversary Memorial Concert), created an extensive program of liturgical art, and co-founded the highly successful Odyssey Chamber Music Series. Ed is married to Jess Wolfe, a teacher with Columbia Public Schools. He has four terrific step-kids, and in March he and Jess welcomed Iris Mae Wolfe Rollins into the family.
Karen Van Wert – With an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a passion to share what she has learned, Karen Van Wert is at home in a classroom or at the podium. She will tell you, “There is nothing more rewarding than witnessing a ringer grasping a concept and executing it in their music. Building skills and instilling confidence in a ringer is the goal of every rehearsal, for then we can make music.” Karen and her bellboy, James, make their home in Savage, MN.
Barb Walsh – Barb Walsh has been the Northern Nevada/Eastern Sierra Regional Coordinator for Area 12 of Handbell Musicians of America since 1993, and was a public school music teacher in the Reno/Sparks, NV, area for 33 years. She received Educator of the Year Award from the Nevada Music Educators Association in 2014. She has developed handbell programs ranging from elementary school children to the adult community group, Tintabulations, known for their high energy, innovation, and musicianship. When not teaching, directing, or ringing, Barb plays flute and piccolo in local orchestras and shares backcountry adventures with her husband, dog, and horses. 
Linda Krantz – Linda Krantz is an accomplished and widely recognized solo handbell artist, has an active performing career, and regularly teaches at the local, regional, and national level. Linda’s greatest love is to perform solo concerts, where she most enjoys playing classical music. She has performed as far away as Paris, and most recently with David Lockington, cellist and maestro of the Pasadena Symphony. Linda was a student of Nancy Hascall, learning all she could about traveling four-in-hand (4iH) and the nuances of artistic solo ringing. Linda is a founding member and president of L.A. Bronze, a past president and current advisory board member of the Pasadena Symphony, and a founding artist and past board member of Timbré. She has served as secretary of the Area 12 board of Handbell Musicians of America, and currently serves on the National Development Committee for Handbell Musicians of America.