Keele Bellringing Courses - 2008


The Keele Summer School took place for the first time in 1987 and courses have been held every year since with one exception. Over the years we have evolved from a single one-week course to a more flexible format of short courses.

The use of immediately local towers minimises the time spent travelling and becoming familiar with different bells. The Keele Summer School was a pioneer in the use of simulators, and our current courses continue to be leaders in terms of the extent to which they are used.

This year we are offering a choice of two different courses:

Course A: 14th - 16th August
A six-bell course for twelve students in two groups. Any six-bell method can be catered for, and there will also be opportunities for those who wish to develop their conducting skills. Students are not required to work on the same method throughout the course - for example, the first day could be spent on one method, the second day on another method with tutorial consultations in preparation for the third day practising conducting.

Groups for practical ringing sessions normally consist of six students and seven tutors, which ensures strong bands and individual supervision. Most of the practical sessions will be held in the parish churches at Keele and Madeley, a five minute drive apart. Both towers are equipped with simulators, which provide facilities for individual listening and rhythm practice in addition to providing sound control.

Instead of a formal tutorial programme, the course takes advantage of its small size and the high level of experience of the tutors by setting aside time each morning and afternoon for personal consultations with tutors. Each group will have a consultation co-ordinator who will help match students' needs with the special areas of expertise of tutors.

A typical day includes group practice sessions totalling about four and a half hours and two consultation sessions. The consultation sessions are used partly to give each student individual simulator practice and partly for individual or small-group discussions. These are arranged to suit students' particular needs and preferences, and can range from one-to-one tuition in practical (eg rope-splicing, belfry maintenance) and theoretical topics, to group discussions where several tutors and several students share their experience of, for example, running a tower or teaching beginners.

One of the evening sessions will consist of a visit to a local tower, for informal ringing. For those who request it, another of the evening sessions can be used to help students who have bell handling problems or for practising raising and lowering.

Course B: 26th - 28th June
A six-bell course for six students which will place particular emphasis on the development of general ringing skills, including conducting if required. Each student will spend four hours per day in a ringing group of four students and seven tutors, and also have one hour of supervised individual practice on a tied bell with simulator and one hour of one-to-one theory with a dedicated tutor. In both cases the time will be used to pursue the particular needs of individual students. Students are not required to work on the same method throughout the course.

Evening ringing will take place at local towers, and include an opportunity for students to practise raising and lowering in peal.

This course will be based at Keele and Madeley.

Meals
During both courses there will be a lunch club run by Rowena Gay at Woodlands, situated between Keele and Madeley. This costs £5 per day, which also covers tea/coffee and biscuits each morning and afternoon, and tea and cakes at the closing meeting. Local pubs are used for dinner.

During the lunch break there is usually time for students to experience hand bell ringing and ringing on the light eight in the garage at Woodlands.

Staff
The Course Director is Philip Gay, who is well known for his innovative approach to the teaching of ringing. A member of the Central Council Education Committee for nine years, he is a former member of the university staff and has wide experience of teaching students of all ages. The other tutors will be experienced ringers most of whom have considerable experience of teaching on ringing courses at Keele and elsewhere. Most of the staff will be in attendance for a whole course, thus ensuring continuity and the development of the best possible understanding between tutors and students.

Other Resources
The towers used for the morning and afternoon ringing and teaching sessions are all equipped with simulators, which provide both sound control and facilities for individual practice in listening and ringing by rhythm. Also available will be:

Accommodation
In the interests of flexibility, the courses are non-residential. This will enable students to organise, with our help if required, accommodation to suit their own preferences and budgets. We can provide addresses of local B&B establishments and camp and caravan sites. Both courses begin at 9.30am on Thursday morning, so students may find it useful to book accommodation on Wednesday evening to minimise travelling on the first morning.

The Keele practice is on Wednesday evening and students will be made very welcome by the local band.

Fees
The two courses have different tutor/student ratios, and this is reflected in the fees:

In each case the fee covers tuition and tower donations. The fee is payable on application and we regret that we shall have to retain the full fee in the event of cancellation by the applicant after Friday 23rd May 2008.

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