Foundation Skills ART Training Scheme Module 2F - Teaching from Rounds to Plain Hunt June 2019 (T) © ART Charity No 1156971

Learning the Ropes - a progressive scheme Level 1 - Bell handling Level 2 - Foundation Skills Level 3 - Introduction to Change Ringing Learning the Ropes is a progressive learning scheme for teachers to use with their new ringers. It will assist in guiding the teacher to ensure all skills are built in a carefully graded manner. The scheme includes ideas to help develop bell control, striking skills listening skills, ropesight, and understanding of the theory which underpins change ringing. Module 2F focuses on Foundation skills and Plain Hunting. Module 2C focuses on Foundation skills and building skills for elementary change ringing, using Plain Bob as its basis.

What will I find out? The importance of foundation skills How to build these incrementally (graded steps) Listening skills need to be taught Foundation skills are interdependent Without strong foundations progress will be curtailed Sample ringing exercises to develop foundation skills Strategies for building confidence

Foundation skills for ringing Bell handling/control/style Listening skills Ropesight Good rhythm & striking Understanding of theory These are the basic, underlying or foundation skills on which change ringing is built.

The importance of good foundations Good accurate foundation skills are what a learner builds on later to fully develop his performance. We often meet the problem of poor foundation skills in ringing. Learners who cannot hunt or learn their first method due to the fact they are unable to control the bell adequately. Or ringers only able to “ring by numbers”. Ringers who have been taught only by numbers have not been taught to listen and cannot change place without knowing which bell to follow. Ringers who have been taught only by numbers have not had the opportunity to develop rope sight.

There is no substitute for experience Skills should be taught in a carefully graded way so as to make each further level easier to achieve It helps a learner when learning a new skill he is able to relate the description of a new activity to a past activity which by definition will be familiar. Relating the new activity to a previous one in his head will make it more likely that he will be able to understand, relate to and remember what is being taught. Therefore he or she will find the learning easier.

Build skills step by step By building the whole action gradually, developing skills step by step, a teacher can help the learner become consistent at a higher level

Bell control Without good bell control the new ringer is unable to place their bell where they want to. It doesn’t matter how well they can hear. They are unable to make use of the hearing if they can’t control their bell Check your ringer against the handling assessment in their Personal Progress Logbook A learner needs to be able to change the speed of their bell for leading, hunting and dodging. To do this adequately they need to be able to take rope in and let it out. If their handling style is very poor this will be very difficult for them. They need a good handling skills/style As teachers and coaches we should try to ensure when dealing with novice ringers that we develop all the foundations skills in our learners. Time spent at this stage pays dividends later on.

Listening/hearing Without good listening skills a new ringer is unable to hear if their bell is in the correct place It doesn’t matter how good their bell control is. They cannot strike their bell accurately if they can’t hear where they are Many learners have difficulty hearing their bell. It is important to develop this skill right from the beginning. Ringing Software can be used, a laptop can be brought to the tower and the learner can ring rounds using the keyboard. 4 or 6 bells can be used, starting with covering. The striking can be reviewed after each attempt, thus giving feedback. As soon as it gets too easy make the task harder. You can set individual bells to be odd-struck. When ringing with a band for the first time(s) it is useful to ring rounds on 3 and then on 4. Virtually everyone can hear 1-2-3; three-blind mice. This is a vital time for them to learn to identify their own bell striking. For some learners they will be striking sufficiently accurately that they will be able to move onto rounds on 6 during the first practice. For others it may take weeks for them to be able to move beyond 4 bells. Ring “Pop goes the weasel” on 5. Ask the learner which bit of that line they are (eg the 3rd is “the”). Tell them to focus on that word/syllable as they’re ringing it to help them associate the body movement with the strike. A FEW MINUTES SPENT AT THIS STAGE IN THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT WILL SAVE MANY HOURS LATER.

Ropesight Ropesight is dependent on the ability to move the bell accurately from one place to the next - bell control It is easier for the new ringer who can hear when their bell is striking in the row to develop ropesight - listening skills When hunting if the learner hasn’t pulled their rope sufficiently hard to move up say from 2nds place to 3rds place and is now only in 2 and a half’s place they will be much less likely to able to see the rope they need to follow when he attempts to move up in to 4ths place. It is easier for the learner with good bell control to develop rope sight. If a learner is unable to identify their bell striking in the row, when two bells swap below him they may continue to follow the same (now wrong) bell

Depends on these 3 core skills HELP! No wonder they struggle Good rhythm & striking Depends on these 3 core skills If they can’t control & place their bell They can’t hear their bell They can’t see where to place their bell HELP! No wonder they struggle

Foundation skills are interdependent LISTENING BELL CONTROL ROPESIGHT GOOD STRIKING THEORY METHOD RINGING As teachers and coaches we should try to ensure when dealing with novice ringers that we develop all the foundations skills in our learners.

How to develop good foundation skills Bell handling/control/style Listening skills Ropesight Good rhythm & striking Understanding of theory These are the basic, underlying or foundation skills on which change ringing is built.

Bell control exercises Taking rope in/letting rope out (tied bell?) Whole pull and stand Set every third stroke Repeated holding on the balance back/hand Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Stand one bell at a time from rounds Follow the leader These are some exercises and games which can be used to develop bell control. In the game follow my leader the treble sets a variable speed for the band to follow. This may be very useful for example to get learners to put sufficient pressure on their hand stroke pull to get the bell to the balance at backstroke. This skill learned early will stand them in good stead for instance learning to hunt where difficulty is often experienced getting up in to 5ths place at backstroke

Listening exercises Ringing on 3 or 4 bells is easier to hear Add/subtract additional bells Ringing facing out from the circle Ring well known phrases with the correct musical rhythm – e.g. “Pop goes the Weasel” Ringing with a simulator These are some exercises which will help develop hearing skills. For example when ringing on three bells the learner can ring the 2 or the 3 and practice place making, dodging, and eventually kaleidoscope exercises such as treble bob hunt. The emphasis is consistently placed on accuracy of striking. When facing out wards from the circle the actual technique of turning round when the bell is up at backstroke should be demonstrated and then practiced by each participant before the exercise commences. Many learners have difficulty hearing their bell. It is important to develop this skill right from the beginning. Ringing software can be used, a laptop can be brought to the tower and the learner can ring rounds. 4 or 6 bells can be used, starting with covering. The striking can be reviewed after each attempt, thus giving feedback. As soon as it gets too easy make the task harder. You can set individual bells to be odd-struck. When ringing with a band for the first time(s) it is useful to ring rounds on 3 and then on 4. Virtually everyone can hear 1-2-3; three-blind mice. This is a vital time for them to learn to identify their own bell striking. For some learners they will be striking sufficiently accurately that they will be able to move onto rounds on 6 during the first practice. For others it may take weeks for them to be able to move beyond 4 bells. Ring “Pop goes the weasel” on 5. Ask the learner which bit of that line they are (eg the 3rd is “the”). Tell them to focus on that word/syllable as they’re ringing it to help them associate the body movement with the strike. A FEW MINUTES SPENT AT THIS STAGE IN THE LEARNER’S DEVELOPMENT WILL SAVE MANY HOURS LATER.

Simulators: practise in virtual reality LTR 2 is where you learn listening, rhythm, control and basic ropesight skills – it takes LOTS and LOTS of practice. But so often new ringers at this level get the least practice at a practice night! And time is limited to a typical 1 ½ hours of course. They need hours of practice over a few months not minutes every week for years! Fortunately a tied bell, screen and standard ringing software can provide an answer and you can now ring dodging exercises, places, kaleidoscope, Mexican wave call changes and most LTR 2 exercises starting from hand and back, on your own and get as much practice as you need. Tenoring behind and leading are particularly good for developing ropesight, rhythm, leading and listening skills.

Ropesight exercises Covering to: Call changes A pair of bells making places Long places (4 blows) Short Places (2 blows) A dodging pair Plain Hunt on 3, 4 then 5 bells The first step in developing rope sight is to keep a bell in a certain place in the row whilst bells change in the place below.

Ropesight Build on the hunting skills: Plain Hunt from different inside bells Then Plain Hunt the treble to: 2nds place: Bastow - Minimus/Doubles/Minor 3rds place: Cloister 4ths place: Little Bob 5ths place: Doubles methods The skill of developing rope sight whilst hunting first requires the learner to be able to hunt accurately. To develop accurate hunting use plain courses so that the learner knows who they are following, as soon as they know where they is going on one bell change the bell they are ringing or if they are reluctant to do this, as some learners are, change the number of bells the hunting is taken place on. If you do not change some factor you will end up with your learner just learning to hunt a certain bell , when they should be developing the skill of hunting which should be transferable from bell to bell. One they have developed the physical skill of hunting accurately changing the order they meet the bells will be easier for them. For those finding things hard Bastow where the treble makes seconds and leads is the most simple, followed by Cloister where the treble hunts to thirds place and back to the lead.

Striking exercises Call Changes [repeated] Call Changes at backstroke [repeated] Place making handstroke/backstroke Dodging practice Over at hand under at back Over at back under at hand Dodgy Call Changes Mexican Wave and variations Kaleidoscope sequences These exercises should be used to concentrate on the striking. That is why they might need to be repeated. The Teacher should ensure that the ringer is concentrating on listening to his or her place in the row. If the ringer doesn’t know where he is in the row the teacher should help him work it out or tell him and then repeat and re – ask the same question! So if a ringer does not get the striking correct, feedback can be given as to what was the problem (maybe the first blow was at the correct speed but the following blow was inaccurate, or maybe they didn’t move on the correct stroke, or they were too slow to come down or didn’t go up high enough and clashed with the bell they were supposed to be following) and then the chance should be given to try the same manoeuvre again. The Teacher may have to give several goes before the striking gets good.

Kaleidoscope works Basic works Long places – four blows Places – two blows Dodging Or combine them! Central Council Publication: Kaleidoscope Ringing, by Gordon Lucas

Kaleidoscope sequences Advanced Works Treble Bob Yorkshire Places Make up your own!

Mexican Wave - sequential place making It provides the first steps in learning to cover It allows a learner to go into and out of the lead for just two blows at a time It helps to develop accurate striking Two or three learners can ring at the same time It can be rung for service It is fun and provides variety You can ring with places, dodging , starting at backstroke or each combination in reverse.

Understanding of theory Introduce elementary theory & correct ringing terminology early and continually: Rounds Check/pull Lead/lie Front/back Up/down Treble/tenor Out/in Often learners get very confused when they first see Plain Hunt or a method written down. There are so many new ideas. Some concepts can be introduced right from the first lesson. If you write out rounds on the white board you can explain all these concepts. If you then write out a call change you can join the bells that have changed place together and talk about quicker/slower in/out, up/down. By putting these lines on, you have without saying the word introduced them to the concept of the “blue line”. Note- There are Ringing Jargon charts and worksheets provided in the New Teacher packs.

Ringing jargon poster example front 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 4 3 5 6 back tenor treble lead cover lie “Three to four” This type of activity can be used as early as during the first handling lessons when taking a break from the rope. However, the teacher may need to return to it many times in the future until the learner is really familiar with the terms and the concepts. Slow- up- out Quick- down- in

Success boosts confidence Teach your ringers step by step Ensure they have the skills to succeed at each task

The confidence cycle