Treble's Going – Details, episodes & analysis

• Tracy Chevalier is an author and admirer of ringing, an American expat living in London.
• Tracy writes historical fiction: we briefly touch on writing and researching Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Last Runaway,  and Remarkable Creatures (and glance briefly at The Virgin Blue and The Lady and The Unicorn) before delving into the meat of the episode: her novel A Single Thread. (Find Tracy's books at her site or wherever you get books.)
• Tracy commends both Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village and  The Nine Tailors to your attention; I still say read Tracy first!

Thank you, friends. (Especially those of you who recommended Tracy to me during a dinner in Northampton--you've enriched my life unimaginably!)

• Carbaretta Bartland is a ringer and author from, well... I'll let her tell you.
• Her books, A Short Touch of Bristol and Her First Long Length explore many aspects of ringing--band management, instruction, challenging methods, flowering relationships--and are best enjoyed with a glass of wine. And, perhaps, a fan going.
• We talk about how Carbaretta started ringing, her writing, and her future plans. Project Pickled Egg comes up; we've previously discussed PPE in episodes 23 and 25 with Simon Linford, and it's come up in a few other episodes.

Thank you, friends.

• Kemp Brinson of Winter Haven, Florida, is back!
• This time he's interviewing Pip Penney of the Llandaff and Monmouth Association, in Wales. Pip, creator of the Association of Ringing Teachers, discusses the genesis of the ART, creating instructional videos, how to get a ringer past a hurdle that seems to have them hung up, and describes a program for developing ropesight.
• Finally, Pip and I catch up to discuss breaking bad habits, distracting learners, and physical aptitude.

Thank you, friends.

• Bryn and Leland are back, together! We briefly talk personal lives, but you can hear much more about their romance and engagement in their episode of Fun With Bells, the other, excellent, change-ringing podcast.
• Mainly we discuss Ringing Room: its birth and growth through its first year, its best use and misconceptions about its use, and how its use will help us even as we get back into our towers.
• Leland and Bryn describe some new features coming in the spring of 2021, and even field a pitch from their pushy host. (Who needs the suggested feature much more than they!)
• [Do please take a moment to look at their one-year anniversary survey, to provide feedback on your successes and hangups on Ringing Room, and consider financially supporting the running of Ringing Room's servers either by donating directly or by supporting their Patreon.]
• Finally, we catch up with what Bryn and Leland have been ringing, when they're not busy making it possible for so many of us to do so.

Thank you, friends.

• In this double-length episode we hear about ringing at Kent School spanning seven decades, from the ringers themselves. They are:
  • Alex "Sandy" Taft, Jr., class of 1962;
  • Andy Deganahl, class of 1969;
  • Sidney Kirkpatrick, class of 1974;
  • Ellen Jennings, class of 1991;
  • Adrea Marshall, class of 1993;
  • Alex T. Taft, III, class of 1999;
  • Alice Benjamin, class of 2018;
  • Stella Klingebiel, class of 2019; and
  • Matthew Austin, faculty since 2008.
• This conversation touches on coming to Kent, learning about ringing while at Kent, activities of the ringers' both at Kent and afield, and the future of ringing at Kent.
• Special thanks are due to the previous ringing masters of Kent School: Isaac Atwater (1931-1938), William E. Howard (ca. 1950-1975), David Bailey (1975-1979), and Thomas W. Holcombe (1979-2016). 

And thank you, friends.

• This is the second half of an interview Kemp Brinson conducted with Simon Linford; you can find the first half of the interview in episode 23.
• In this half Simon and Kemp discuss the "zones" of ringing, barriers to progression, and goals & aspirations in ringing.
• Next we hear about the genesis and structure of the Birmingham School of Bell Ringing, a program of St. Martin's Guild. 
• Kemp and Simon discuss the challenges of ringing long lengths, and particularly ultra-peals that push the boundaries of ringing. (See, for instance 20064 spliced surprise maximus or 210 minor methods all-the-work.)
• Finally, an update on St. John's, Hanley. Followed by another update: they have a home!

Thank you, friends.

• Stuart is a Miami ringer, by way of South Africa, England, and New York.
• While with the Trinity ringers, Stuart helped develop the Trinity Shield Striking Competition (YT video of 2018 competition, our guest is wearing plaid), North America's only.
• We discuss the competition, good striking, and how one integrates more striking practice and awareness into practices.
• Finally, we settle the matter of which North American tower scored the most peals in 2020.

Thank you for listening, friends.

• Kemp Brinson is a ringer and attorney in Winter Haven, FL; in 2018 he conducted a series of interviews which we are happy to be able to feature on Treble's Going.
• This is the first half of Kemp's conversation with Simon Linford of Birmingham, UK. Kemp and Simon discuss at length Project Pickled Egg, the project behind the "core 7" surprise major methods.
• Finally, Simon and I touch base for a quick update on both the publicization and adoption of the core seven and on his position as president of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

Thank you, friends.

• Diane Amison-Loring is the editor of The Clapper, the journal of the North American Guild of Change Ringers.
• Diane was formerly a sister of the Community of the Holy Spirit; we discuss how that community came to hang bells at Melrose School, which brought ringing to Diane's life.
• We also discuss The Clapper's purpose, its regular features, and articles from 2020's issues that we particularly recommend to your attention: Bryn Reinstadler & Leland Kusmer's "Introducing the Ringing Room" and Josh Burson's "Silent Bells around North America" & "The Bells That Never Were". (All links to Clapper articles require member sign-in.)

Thank you, friends.

• Michael Tartell is a Boston ringer, by way of St. Louis.
• Michael learned to ring in Chicago, and from there passed through Philadelphia on his way to Boston: an embarrassment of ringing riches!
• We talk about learning and teaching with simulators, which I believe will be invaluable in 2021 as many towers look to resume in-practice teaching and ringing.
• Mostly, though, we talk about viruses: what they are, how they invade cells and replicate, their effects on our bodies, and vaccines.

Thank you, friends.