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TUITION AVAILABLE ON THE COURSE
1 PRACTICAL RINGING SESSIONS
The Course will be divided into Groups for practical sessions. Please put the letter of the one you choose on your Application Form. Many students seem uncertain about the standard of bell control necessary before coming to the Course. It is best if all applicants can hold a bell on the balance at backstroke for a second or two, then do the same at the next handstroke, and repeat that nine more times. We want you to come and we want you to enjoy the course, but your progress will be severely hampered if you cannot control your bell. We expect that every student can handle a bell entirely by him/herself, and has rung rounds competently, safely and entirely unaided on different bells at the time of your application. All students should be able to pull a bell up and down. Please take note of these requirements – if you fail to satisfy us on the safety of your bell handling we reserve the right to remove you from the practical groups.
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT GROUPS A and B
So that students in these Groups can get the most benefit from the course and leave feeling that they have made real progress we are arranging for them to ring on tied bells on the Thursday evening. All students who need help with bell control can be given it. Those who need no such help will be given useful exercises or the bells may be untied. Please do not apply for Group C simply to avoid the Thursday tied bell session.
GROUP B A Group for those who can plain hunt on 3 or 4 or 5 bells a little, to give practice at plain hunting on different rings of bells and in different orders both on the treble and "inside". This Group will be learning ropesight (including looking and striking) as an essential preliminary to ringing the treble to Plain Bob. Practice will be given at ringing the treble to Bastow Minimus and Doubles and to Bob Minimus. Please take note of the general comments above.
GROUP C For those who want to learn to ring the treble to plain hunting on five bells. "Starts" will be from 12345 at first then from other orders. Please take careful note of Practical Ringing Sessions above.
GROUP D For those who really have ropesight and bell control when ringing the treble to Plain Bob or Grandsire Doubles (please note Group C’s aims) and are ready to learn Plain Bob Doubles "inside".
GROUP E For those who really have ropesight and bell control when ringing the treble to Plain Bob or Grandsire Doubles (please note Group C’s aims) and are ready to learn Grandsire Doubles "inside".
GROUP F Plain Bob Minor "inside". For those who can ring a Doubles method "inside" to touches.
GROUP G Kent Treble Bob Minor. For students who can ring Bob Minor "inside" confidently to touches.
GROUP H Surprise Minor: Cambridge. Possibly other methods too. For those who can ring Kent or, preferably, Oxford TB to touches. Please say on your Application Form what, if any, experience you have in this field.
GROUP I Stepping up to Triples and Major: This group is aimed at Students who are used to ringing five or six bells who would like the opportunity to extend their abilities to eight bells. A variety of methods may be rung according to need, to provide practice at eight bell ringing – perhaps starting with plain hunting on 7, and working up towards Kent Treble Bob.
GROUP J Stedman Triples and Caters. Applicants should have experience at either Stedman Doubles or Grandsire Triples, preferably both. Those with some experience of Stedman Triples will have opportunity to develop it and progress to Caters. The first three towers will be eight bell ones, the last three ten bells. Students can limit themselves to Triples at the last three towers if they wish.
GROUP K Surprise Major. For those really competent at easier eight bell methods. Practice for those with no Surprise Major experience will be limited to Yorkshire and/or Cambridge. For those with such experience two other methods will be taught and rung as is thought fit. Please say on your Application Form what, if any, experience you have in this field.
2 CHANGE RINGING ON HANDBELLS
In addition to tower bell groups there are the following optional handbell groups.
Handbells X For those with no handbell experience but with some change ringing experience.
Handbells Y Bob Minor. For those with some double-handed handbell experience or for those who are sure that they can manage two bells having had no previous experience.
There are three sessions for W, (numbers 11, 24 & 32) and X (numbers 12, 25 & 33). The first session is on Friday evening, to which you must go if you select to do handbells W or X. There are two further sessions on Saturday and Sunday – you should select to go to one of these. Please do not select either of the later sessions without also selecting the Friday evening session.
There are three sessions for Y (3, 19 & 41). Please read carefully the relevant notes in the Application Procedure. If you choose to ring handbells Y we expect you to attend all the sessions.
3 LECTURES/DEMONSTRATIONS
A variety of lectures and demonstrations will be provided (see the programme). There are specific lectures for tower bell Groups at 0900 and 1400 on Friday, and at 0900 on Saturday. Group A students have a session on David Bagley’s simulator at 16:25 on Saturday.
All general lectures are open to all students (though take note of handbell requirements above), but some sessions are more suitable for students in elementary groups. These are marked in the programme as follows:
Tutorials
There is usually quite a wide choice of lectures and demonstrations. However some students have been to the Course several times and have heard or seen what is available. Since our aim is to provide opportunities for everyone for every session including Sunday morning please, if necessary, ask for a tutorial. If you want a tutorial at any of the times when they are given as an option then please attach a letter to your Application Form giving the topic in some detail and writing the relevant time and day, eg "1500 Friday".
4 COMPUTER AND SIMULATOR DEMONSTRATIONS
Alan Griffin will demonstrate computer ringing programs at the times listed.
David Bagley will demonstrate his "tower bell" simulator.
His sessions show how a tied "tower bell" can be rung to fit in with the sound of electronically produced methods, and students choosing them may have the opportunity to try their ears and timing. Some of these sessions are heavily booked, and we may need to ask you to change from the session you book to another.
Although David Bagley's "open" (i.e. available to everyone) sessions are listed in the Programme it is possible that, since this was printed, some of them have been allocated to particular Groups. The Lecture Lists posted at the beginning of the Course will give the up-to-date situation.
Watch out for a "PRIVATE SESSION" sign outside "the tower".
5 SELECTING LECTURES/DEMONSTRATIONS
There are boxes on the Application Form which we ask you to tick to indicate what lectures and demonstrations you want to attend. This is not a part time course. The organisers have tried to put on lectures and demonstrations to suit all abilities every time that there is a choice. Please therefore try to put one tick in every block of boxes. Non-residents are expected to take advantage of Sunday morning sessions. If there are many applications and some students have to be turned away, preference will be given to those who commit fully to the course. Since teachers make careful preparations for these sessions, please be sure to keep to your selection. If, on the Course, you find that you are unable to attend a booked session please make your apologies to the relevant teacher out of courtesy. You may find it helpful to mark on this Programme the sessions that you have chosen on your Application Form.