The Church of St Mary the Virgin (8 bells, 14cwt tenor) will be hosting its first Module 1 course from the ART Training Scheme, tutored by Pip Penney.
The day course is the first step in teacher development and is ideal for both new teachers who have never taught handling before, and experienced teachers who wish to extend their skills further and support other teachers.
Delegates will undertake practical exercises for teaching bell handling in the tower as well as some theory on coaching, motivation and adapting teaching styles to work with people who learn in different ways. Because the ART Training approach starts with the bell in the ‘down’ position, it offers a very safe way to teach and ideal for learners who might feel unnerved by rapidly moving ropes to begin with.
Billingshurst – St Mary the Virgin (8)
Course delegates will work in pairs to develop their skills of rapport and observation, spotting any handling faults early on so that these can be corrected swiftly, rather than becoming an unhelpful habit. Giving timely feedback, positive rapport and planning an effective handling lesson will also be covered.
Following the course, delegates will be given access to the SmART Ringer system which contains a vast amount of teaching and learning resources that can be used in the tower. Teachers will be encouraged to register their new ringers on the Learning the Ropes scheme, where certificates can be ordered as ringers progress to Level 1 bell handling. By teaching a new person to ring and developing their teaching skills through keeping a log book / diary of lessons, a teacher can become an accredited member of ART after an observed lesson with a visiting ART Assessor.
Billingshurst tower has a nice peal of eight bells (tenor 14cwt) where the bells are accessed via a nice, long straight wooden staircase with closed treads and a good handrail. The light and airy tower creates a pleasant ringing and learning environment. There is car parking in nearby roads, or visitors to the Church can pay to use the Library car park which is behind Sainsbury’s, not far away.
The adjacent Church room has toilet facilities and delegates are invited to bring a packed lunch, or make their own arrangements to eat locally during the break.
To request a space on the Billingshurst Course, please use the SmART Ringer online booking form here.