How it all started
During a handbell rehearsal one day, we spent way too much time figuring out which bells moved, people and position changes, mallet and “toy” positions, etc. Being a software engineer, I knew there had to be a way technology could fix this!
Our story
Handbells are a unique in that it “usually” takes more than 1 person to play our instrument. Whether you are in a community group or a church group, there are many challenges in setting up rehearsals/performances as well as moving bells, mallets, toys and people between positions. If you happen to play in a group that people and assignments never move, you might not need this application.
If you happen to play in a Community or Church group that bells move to different positions or people move to different positions, you need this app!
Our approach
This application does the following.
- Contacts – A list of all people in your ensemble.
- Ensembles – Add contacts to each ensemble in your organization
a. Create “season” lists with repertoire. - Titles – Maintain your entire music library, including multiple score types for each piece. (i.e. Choral, Orchestra, Keyboard, Handbell, etc.)
- Handbell specific
a. Position, bell/chime/mallet assignments
b. Equipment used for the event (bells, mallets, toys, etc.) and their starting positions. Never forget a bell or mallet again! - Event management – Create an event (Performance/Rehearsal) and publish the order to each member. This let’s everyone know what you are planning and the order it happens!
a. For the conductor, you can keep rehearsal notes on what you want to do at rehearsal. If you are repeating a piece in the future, you can use these notes to help you zero in on the rough spots!
There are MANY more features in Rehearsal Assistant too numerous to mention here. Bottom line, it was written to spend time rehearsing, not wasting time on logistics!
Rehearsal Assistant 