Vocal Ensemble (with bells!)

Tonight, I crashed Vocal Ensemble.

Back at Foothill, I took 3 quarters of the College Chorale, plus one quarter of Voice Class. This seems like a combination of those.

In the Foothill College Chorale, we sang SAB music (with occasional divisions in the parts). In Voice Class, we sang in unison, plus everyone sang a solo. (Both classes were taught by Carl Karl Schmidt, who used to be in Chanticleer .)

In this class at CSUSM, we'll be doing some SAB, some SATB, some rounds and some unison stuff. We might also have a special concert, just for solos - and the prof said it could be instrumental....

Anyway, at the beginning of class, the prof had each of us introduce ourselves and give a bit of our singing and/or music background. I said that I'm new to the area, so this is my first semester at the University; I'm a professional handbell player. I play with a professional Bay Area group called Sonos, plus I'm a soloist; and I've played bells in 33 US States and 6 countries.

He said I should do a concert sometime. I said, "Sure, my capstone project," and he said, "No, before that!" He also asked if there are pieces for choir and bells and I said, "Yes. In fact, I have a packet of music for choir and bells that I got as a publisher promotion; I'll bring it over to you." He seemed totally excited about it. Other students in the class also said, "Handbells? That is so cool!" LOL!

For those who say that handbells are not respected in the mainstream, I say that that attitude seems to be diminishing in recent years. Surely my experiences have been more positive than negative in that regard.

There *is* hope for us, after all! :-)

Looking forward to this semester!

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