Groth Music We have a 25 note hand bell set w/ a 2 octave range. If you're playing both melodies & chords w/ handbells half the ensemble plays the melody & the other half plays the chords. The tremolo ringers will have to play softly so they can accompany the melody ringers. The ensemble will also be singing & playing so the melody ringers will give the whole ensemble something to sing with.
Kids are very quick learners. I took over a children's bell choir and got rid of the color coded "music". I had them learn where their notes were and took the time to teach them what each note was worth count wise. Within 3 weeks they were reading music, had the timing down and they had learned something they could take farther it they wanted to. It helped them when they started band in 5th grade. Color coding is a crutch, and they can not use this later down the road. Trust your students. Give them the gift of reading music!
Groth Music We have a 25 note hand bell set w/ a 2 octave range. If you're playing both melodies & chords w/ handbells half the ensemble plays the melody & the other half plays the chords. The tremolo ringers will have to play softly so they can accompany the melody ringers. The ensemble will also be singing & playing so the melody ringers will give the whole ensemble something to sing with.
Kids are very quick learners. I took over a children's bell choir and got rid of the color coded "music". I had them learn where their notes were and took the time to teach them what each note was worth count wise. Within 3 weeks they were reading music, had the timing down and they had learned something they could take farther it they wanted to. It helped them when they started band in 5th grade. Color coding is a crutch, and they can not use this later down the road. Trust your students. Give them the gift of reading music!