Four enticing miniatures in a reproducible collection enhance understanding and performance, each based on an unusual color term, carefully guiding beginning ringers through a progression of Level 1 skills. Written by experienced handbell educator Kathleen Wissinger, each original piece is a solid stepping stone focused on specific skills, preparing your ringers for the next piece. Because each piece is so carefully and consciously written with beginning ringers in mind, your ringers will experience success and confidence, which then encourages more exploration with music outside these pedagogical limits. Titles are: Gamboge, Azure, Terra Cotta and Coral. All scores are reproducible by original purchaser.

To enhance the classroom experience and save on your prep time – as well as to coordinate with other academic classes at your school - teaching notes offer some background on the color as well as some basic theory and techniques explanations for each piece. You can also use these pieces as a “We have 10 minutes of class left!” bonus, an end-of-the-week treat, or as a palate cleanser in a concert of larger pieces. Coordinate with your school’s art teacher/art show to showcase the colors.

“A Palette of Pieces” could also be used in a workshop setting, to introduce ringing at a rec center or retirement village, or maybe for a “musicians’ retreat” to introduce them to the wonderful world of ringing. A focused Beginners’ Festival or a Level 1 event could benefit from having four pieces to choose from for very little cost to an ensemble’s sponsor. Each participating group would need to purchase their own “master score” or license. In a school setting, a single teacher may use copies from one master score for multiple classes within one school. For multiple schools, each site needs its own master score. For other uses or if you have any questions, please contact the author.

Skills covered: Whole/half notes/rests; Quarter notes, then quarter rests; Dynamics, cresc. and dim.; Tempos (Andante, Adagio, Allegro); Simple techniques (vibrato, gyro, mallets); Optional notes in parentheses; Stem-up/stem-down voicing, Parallel Major/minor keys; Harmonic and melodic seconds, Major 7th chords & triads; Fermatas.

The pieces are in different keys: D dorian, F minor, F major, C minor then C Major.

If you are using Square One (RE3013R) in your curriculum, these pieces coordinate with lessons C, D, E & F: an excellent addition to support and scaffold just-learned lessons and to solidify skills. And because Kath know kids like “real” covers on their music, she includes a colorful cover for each piece which you may use when you copy the scores. This collection may be used separately or as a suite. Feel free to make your own covers (or have your students design them) and retitle the pieces to suit your needs. Just keep the copyright information intact on every score, please. This collection is also available as a digital download, which may be projected or used on tablets, etc. Performance rights also convey with purchase: please include the complete copyright information and just let Kath known the circumstances.

For more pedagogically focused pieces, see ringTrue’s “Class Ring” series

If you are a dedicated handbell teacher and have yet to discover Square One (RE3013R) and the teaching methods Kath developed during her 18 years directing 4th-8th graders in the classroom, please take a look. This 2-volume set has carefully designed lessons that develop confident knowledgeable ringers with rote and unison exercises, focused practice pieces and all-inclusive etudes worthy of classroom time and performance! A license for access to the complete digital download is included with the purchase, so all scores can be projected on a Smart Board or white screen, copied into individual ringer notebooks for an organized curriculum year to year, easily accessed for your own at-home prep, or even copied or emailed as pdfs for your students’ at-home use. All to make your teaching experience and your ringers’ learning experience as logical, easy, interesting, fun and effective as possible. A short video explanation about Square One is available.

Published by: ringTrue

This Sheet Music has a digital preview. You can click on any of the "Preview" buttons below to view additional pieces.

  

This music is being licensed for use by the purchaser. You may use this file to print as many copies as are needed. It may also be used on digital devices controlled by the purchaser. You may not sell, transfer, rent, lease, redistribute or sub-license this product. Doing so will result in the revocation of the license.

The control numbers and other information contained in the file must appear on all printed and digital copies. Tampering with the file or changing the file information will result in the revocation of the license.

  

Composer: Wissinger, Kathleen	Arranger: N/A	Octaves: 2-5	Level: 1	Rating: Easy	Copyright: 2025
Season: All Year
Classification: Collection , Concert , Original Composition , Reproducible , Secular
Technique: Mallet , Gyro , Sk (Shake) , vib. (Vibrato) , Mallet Lift
Voicing: Handbells, No Choral
Bells Used: Two Octaves: 15 Bells; Three Octaves: 29 Bells; Four Octaves: 40 Bells