Directors choose the music, develop the schedule, cajole timeliness and attendance, lug and maintain the equipment, stay updated on the educational needs of the ensemble, decide what events are relevant or accessible to the group and and and… Somehow everything seems to fall on your shoulders and you may sometimes feel like you are in it all alone. But why is that? Does it have to be that way?

What if instead of everything depending on you, what if each and every one of your choir members were committed and fully vested musicians in their own right, where you all worked together to shoulder the responsibilities just as you work together to make beautiful music? Can you imagine a time when you come into practice and your choir is already there discussing an article from Overtones or an upcoming Area or National event they want to attend?

Perhaps you are scoffing right now, thinking your choir members show up for rehearsal, ring and then are done. But consider the possible impact if they became personally vested with their own membership so that handbell musicianship wasn’t something that they only thought about when they were with you. What if they had informative emails that came to their inbox on a regular basis? What if they had their own account login to access the wealth of resources available through handellmusicians.org? Even if only one or two of the musicians in your choir take advantage of this opportunity it could trigger ripple effects that impact the entire group.

The sub-membership option allows the musicians in your choir to add their own membership for just $10 a year, under the umbrella of your organizational membership. The sub-membership gives unfettered access to all the benefits and resources available through handbellmusicians.org. In addition, sub-members will automatically receive monthly newsletters from both the national office and your Area.

Empower your ringers. Take a few minutes at the beginning of your rehearsals for the next few weeks to tell them about the sub-membership option and open the door to membership in Handbell Musicians of America which:

• Gives you opportunities to connect and form life-long friendships with other handbell musicians.
• Provides you with unparalleled access to opportunities for learning from the most innovative, talented and knowledgeable people in the art.
• Makes you an integral part of an organization that is THE principal voice of the handbell/handchime art form and is dedicated to advancing the art through education, community and communication.

We can do together what no one can do alone.