Healthy Ringing: For handbells and handchimes

There’s only one way to ring a handbell or handchime:The Healthy Way!This remarkable book carefully describes and illustrates handbell and handchime fundamentals that will:

• Protect each part of your body with warm-ups and stretches.
• Teach safe grips, rings, damps and weaves.
• Teach safe ways to approach and ring bass bells.
• Give you valuable survival tips for rehearsals and massed rings.
• Provide safe ways to perform multiple bells and special techniques.
• Promote proper care of eyes, ears and voice.
• Present the basics of breathing, nutrition, and stress management.

Susan Berry (Detroit, Michigan) is an international authority on proper ringing. In 2000 she wrote Healthy Ringing, a comprehensive publication that single-handedly changed the way handbell musicians approach their instrument. Susan coauthored the Learning To Ring curriculum with its two instructional manuals, nine collections of music arrangements, and many visual aids. Additionally, Susan coauthored the popular instructional video Bell Basics, still widely used three decades after its production. Susan has been the featured director or clinician at many national and international music conferences and reading clinics. These include Pinnacle; AGEHR Directors' Seminar; the 50th Anniversary Celebration; Ring in Praise, Dunblane, Scotland; National Festival, Puerto Rico; and by special request, guest clinician for Ring Around the City Festival, Hong Kong. Susan's passion is encouraging and supporting individual handbell choirs, so she continues to offer instruction and training wherever her skills are needed. For over 25 years Susan has organized and established community handbell ensembles in Southeastern Michigan Susan was the founder and Artistic Director of the Detroit Handbell Ensemble, from 1991-2010. Susan was also the founding director of Detroit's Classical Bells, (from 1982-1989) and for several years directed the Renaissance Ringers, a Detroit inner-city choir comprised of Detroit School teachers. As a Malmark representative for over 30 years, Susan has worked with hundreds of directors to launch handbell and handchime programs. Since 1970 Susan has served in several Detroit area churches as an organist, handbell director and choral director; as a certified Orff-Schulwerk instructor at the downtown Detroit Community Music School, and as adjunct faculty, Marygrove College (Detroit). Today, Susan owns and oversees Handbell Services, Inc., a unique family-owned business based in Dearborn, Michigan. Working with talented artists and American manufacturers, she creates unique gift and educational products made available to the global handbell community through a brick and mortar store, a website, and on-site exhibits at many handbell festivals and conferences nationwide. Susan's teaching and artistic background are reflected in the many products and services offered by her company.