This Month
LAST DAY for National Seminar Earlybird Pricing
Staff Changes in National Office
Website Spotlight
Music Notes from John Behnke
Announcements
NEW MAILING ADDRESS Please note that any payments sent to the Guild should now go to the following address:
Handbell Musicians of America
PO Box 145400
Mail Location 521
Cincinnati, OH 45250
This includes membership renewal, contributions, event registration payments, invoice payments, etc. Also note that general correspondence that DOES NOT include a check payment should still be sent to our Dayton office address – 1055 E. Centerville Station Road, Dayton, OH 45459.
National Events
  
Help build a pension for the Guild, by contributing to the HERITAGE FUND
If you’ve not yet seen our first ever Virtual Handbell Ensemble, have a look HERE. Help us get as much exposure as possible by commenting and sharing.
Member Rewards
15% discount off complete handbell refurbishing from Voices in Bronze® (Christine Anderson). Bells to be delivered to her home or she will come to you, your choice! No expiration date. Mention the offer in an email to [email protected].
Featured Resource
In “Budgeting for Not-For-Profit Organizations,” Michael McCrary talks about everything from revenues and expenses to potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.
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LAST DAY FOR EARLYBIRD PRICING FOR
NATIONAL SEMINAR!
Today is your last chance to register for National Seminar at the early-bird price of $385. Starting tomorrow, registration fees go up $50. Don’t miss the celebration of 60 years of Guild history in addition to loads of informative classes, amazing performances, and numerous opportunities to connect and network with fellow handbell musicians. Here’s what people have said about past National Seminar events:
- We were WOWED by the performances and performers!
- Performances were inspiring and musical.
- Quality of this event is first-class and very professional.
- I love integrating with people that are dealing with similar things that I am. I am not alone!
- Great variety of classes…a good overview of anything that had to do with handbells/music.
- National Seminar challenges me to better my skills as a director and ringer.
The best thing about National Seminar is the professionalism that permeates all aspects of the event. The future is bright for the Guild!
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Staff Changes in National Office
The national office said farewell to Sandy Greeb, administrative coordinator, at the end of March as she started a new chapter in her professional life by joining the staff of the Music Teachers National Association. With her departure, we took the opportunity to slightly restructure our staff.
Mary Willadsen, the Regional Membership Coordinator for Areas 5-8, will now be joining our part-time hourly staff assisting with answering member phone calls, providing general member support, and providing administrative assistance in processing membership dues and contributions. She will complete these tasks from her home in Wisconsin and will continue her duties as Regional Membership Coordinator.
Kim Westendorf, a past staff member for the Guild, returns to us as contracted support in managing and maintaining our website content.
Some other duties have been slightly adjusted with other staff as well. You can find a complete list of current staff and their general responsibilities HERE.
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Website Spotlight
A new feature in E-Notes, the Website Spotlight will highlight a different section of our website each month. There is a wealth of information available to members and non-members throughout the pages of handbellmusicians.org. Check out this spotlight in each issue of E-Notes to keep informed about everything the site has to offer.
This month’s spotlight: Member Center
https://handbellmusicians.org/membership/member-resource-center/
The Member Center can be found on the Members Only tab from the home page. It is your launch pad to other sections of the site relevant to your membership. Find links to account management pages, resources and downloads, event information, and online stores. Not sure where to find something you’re looking for – this is a good place to start.
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Music Notes from John Behnke
New Music Coming to Home Very, Very Soon!
 This month I’d like to highlight not one piece, but all our new 2014 AGEHR Music releases. Each year AGEHR Publishing offers 19 to 20 new handbell pieces that are promoted in two mailings; one with Jeffers Handbell Supply and one from our Handbell Musicians membership list. Watch for it to arrive in your mailbox any day now.
The mission statement of AGEHR Publishing is to publish a wide variety of music to meet the needs of our diverse membership. That means you will find a great variety of original pieces, classical transcriptions, and hymn arrangements. And since publishing with AGEHR is open to anyone, you will see new names. This year’s list has three brand new composers. Erik Whitehill, of Arizona, sent us a great Level 2 arrangement of the spiritual “There is a Balm in Gilead.” Sandy Mullaney, from Minnesota, offers a new arrangement of “Be Thou My Vision,” and Joshua Kramer, of Wisconsin, has captured the true essence of Advent with his arrangement of “Savior of the Nations, Come.”
And there is music of all difficulty levels, for every bell or chime choir—easy, intermediate, and advanced. In this year’s group, there are three pieces for Levels 4 or 5, five pieces for Level 3, eight pieces for Level 2, and three pieces for Level 1. Now that is truly something for every one! And every choir!
One perk of Guild membersguo is to sign up for our Priority Music Club. The PMC began in 2004 so that every member could get our new music at the most minimal cost. The retail total of this year’s 19 pieces is $96.35, but the cost of our 2014 Priority Music Club packet is just $20, and that includes the postage. 19 full-sized, complete pieces that come to your door are accompanied by a CD recording so you can listen and enjoy.
Each year there are unique pieces in our offerings. One I would like to highlight this year is “Contemplations,” by Ron Mallory (AG25003). This Level 2 piece is for 2-5 octaves of handbells plus optional praise band instruments. That’s right, praise band instruments, like guitar, bass, piano, and percussion. Finally a piece that your bell choir can play with your church’s praise band.
From the young 19-year-old composer/arranger Matthew Compton, with his fun and exciting new arrangement of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” to the seasoned arrangement of Bizet’s classic “Agnus Dei” by Martha Lynn Thompson, AGEHR Publishing offers a wide variety of great quality music by talented arrangers and composers.
In now my 11th year as your music editor, I hope you will support and enjoy this quality new music from Handbell Musicians of America’s music publisher, AGEHR Publishing.
CLICK HERE and see the whole list!
New Musically Yours… until next month,
John Behnke, Music Editor
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