For the love of bells
It takes a ringer to understand another ringer and the art of handbells. And that is why I think our alumni is so strong. It's because handbells is such a niche category of the performance arts it becomes very exasperating when you want to talk about it and no one has even heard of your instrument. Even so, it takes only a ringer to understand another ringer. And that's why there's this magical affinity and chemistry when two ringers meet.
It was a mind-blowing experience today, sitting from the audience's perspective and being the onlooker for a change. I was witnessing all the different handbell groups and their fruits of hard labour, many many months of it. I am very glad to see that the standard of handbells in Singapore has risen exponentially over the years. I've learnt that every group has something to teach you. I've seen that every group has developed its own style. I'm happy to see that each group is getting bigger and more groups are being set up, even in primary schools.
There shouldn't be competition and judging when it comes to the performing arts. Art is subjective by nature and no value can and should be placed on either the art form or the artist. Instead, performers in the same field should celebrate each others talents and work together to harness the true magic of it all. Judging should only come in when we look at skill, technique and the level of difficulty, and even so, this too is subjective and it takes a veteran in that field to be the best judge.
I don't think there should be much disappointment in them getting the silver. After all, that is a grading given by judges of high status in this sad little performing arts industry in Singapore, no doubt people of great talent, but still inherently not ringers. Is it a mere coincidence that the groups with gold all played a chinese song, when one of the judges was from the nanyang academy of fine arts? I'm not suggesting anything, but there's definitely much more to ringing than can be seen or heard from an audiences' perspective.
Ringing should be about loving what you do and wanting to spread the joy of handbells to your audience. I gathered from corinne that the handbell conductors and directors themselves are quite sick of all these central judging nonsense and we should all just pull of it and have combine concerts to spread the love.. But I guess we can just continue dreaming on because the the schools will never let that happen. After all, everything in Singapore is about FACE and schools are also judged anyway...
The Raffles ringers have been revolutionary and they don't need a central judging grading to prove it. We were the first group that went to SYF without scores, setting the prescedent of wearing chokers and gowns, starting the trend of actually moving to the music (such that most of this years' handbell groups had a marked increase of syncronized swaying), being the first to have a full-length concert at the Esplanade this year, and simply by just loving it.
It takes a ringer to understand :)
___
I just talked to my handbell batchmate for a couple of hours.
We could have talked all morning.
It was a mind-blowing experience today, sitting from the audience's perspective and being the onlooker for a change. I was witnessing all the different handbell groups and their fruits of hard labour, many many months of it. I am very glad to see that the standard of handbells in Singapore has risen exponentially over the years. I've learnt that every group has something to teach you. I've seen that every group has developed its own style. I'm happy to see that each group is getting bigger and more groups are being set up, even in primary schools.
There shouldn't be competition and judging when it comes to the performing arts. Art is subjective by nature and no value can and should be placed on either the art form or the artist. Instead, performers in the same field should celebrate each others talents and work together to harness the true magic of it all. Judging should only come in when we look at skill, technique and the level of difficulty, and even so, this too is subjective and it takes a veteran in that field to be the best judge.
I don't think there should be much disappointment in them getting the silver. After all, that is a grading given by judges of high status in this sad little performing arts industry in Singapore, no doubt people of great talent, but still inherently not ringers. Is it a mere coincidence that the groups with gold all played a chinese song, when one of the judges was from the nanyang academy of fine arts? I'm not suggesting anything, but there's definitely much more to ringing than can be seen or heard from an audiences' perspective.
Ringing should be about loving what you do and wanting to spread the joy of handbells to your audience. I gathered from corinne that the handbell conductors and directors themselves are quite sick of all these central judging nonsense and we should all just pull of it and have combine concerts to spread the love.. But I guess we can just continue dreaming on because the the schools will never let that happen. After all, everything in Singapore is about FACE and schools are also judged anyway...
The Raffles ringers have been revolutionary and they don't need a central judging grading to prove it. We were the first group that went to SYF without scores, setting the prescedent of wearing chokers and gowns, starting the trend of actually moving to the music (such that most of this years' handbell groups had a marked increase of syncronized swaying), being the first to have a full-length concert at the Esplanade this year, and simply by just loving it.
It takes a ringer to understand :)
___
I just talked to my handbell batchmate for a couple of hours.
We could have talked all morning.
posted by minxuan at 3:36 AM
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