Just when we thought the bleak
midwinter had passed, snow lay on the ground as we returned from the
Adult Festival Conference in Virginia Beach. Quite a change from the
warmth of those two much-too-short days we spent renewing old
friendships and making new ones. I'm sure many of you who attended
share the sentiments of several who caught me afterward to say, "This
year was just plain FUN!" I guess that's bound to happen when you put
a room full of percussion instruments in front of Hart Morris.
Frankly, I'm surprised there was still a roof on the Pavilion after
that final concert.
The festive mood of these last three months was not reserved,
however, for only the adults. St. Matthew's United Methodist Church
in Annandale, Va., hosted Millennium Melody Madness on February 26
primarily for fourth through sixth graders. This was the inaugural
running of the event, and Ingrid Bowers reports that the 50+ youth
considered it such a success that they might just make it happen more
often.
Other choirs found that appealing to a listener's sweet tooth is a
successful angle for a concert. The Celebration Ringers from Pender
United Methodist Church in Fairfax, Va., presented a Candlelight
Dessert and Handbell Concert on February 28 when they featured a
Disney Showcase of Bells. Although the group offered a variety of fat
free and sugar free items along with the usual fare, their musical
offerings were rich in harmony and light-hearted. Likewise, Chevy
Chase Presbyterian Church offered a concert of Valentine treats, both
musical and edible, on February 6. Although there are other
fundraising techniques, sweets seem so successful for so many groups
that it's hard to overlook them.
Now, if enough of you write, call, or e-mail me about your future
appearances, I am considering creating a web page to keep us all
informed about local events. But first I need to hear from you.
Plus, as the school year winds down, and everyone prepares for final
exams and end-of-season concerts, I urge you to consider handbell
summer school. There are many opportunities for workshops, repertoire
reading sessions, and inspirational retreats locally and all over the
country. Personally, I'm headed to Dayton for what promises to be the
grandest of all National AGEHR Directors' Seminars. I hope to see you
there, too.
David K. Tiller, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Chair