Letter from the Chair, October 2023

Dear Friends, As you may have heard by now, the Area 5 Spring Festival scheduled for 2024 in Battle Creek, Mich., was canceled due to renovation issues at the ringing site and hotel. (Long story short: Our hotel canceled our plans with them and had no suitable...

Area 5 Emerging Composer: This Joyous Celebration!

Patrick Meyer joined Area 5 at our 2023 Spring Festival in South Bend, Indiana as our inaugural Emerging Composer. When asked to reflect on his experience he said, This has been quite a journey for all of us, hasn’t it?…to finally assemble together, to ring, to...

Letter from the Chair, October 2022

With the cooler air and colorful leaves arriving, it’s wonderful to see that this fall most of us are once again playing for Sunday worship, planning concerts and festivals. October 1 is when changes occur on the Area 5 board. Most of the board has served an extra...

Area 5 Chimes Provide Beneficial Music Therapy

The Chime Grant Program was established by Area 5 to promote handbell and handchime ringing. In 2018, the board voted to expand the program beyond school settings to include churches, music therapy efforts, elder care recreation, and more. Norton Hospital in...

Pearl Marshall: My Associate Conductor Experience

Pearl Marshall was the 2020 Area 5 Associate Conductor and worked with Conductor Michael Glasgow at the Spring Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. When asked to reflect on her experience she said, “I am very grateful to the selection committee for choosing me to...