Day 11 – Aberdeen

August 7, 2026 — Leave a comment

Since the ringers and roadies are on different schedules, we decided to break the blog up into two sections: Ringers and Roadies.

Ringers:

Today was the third day of rehearsals for the symposium! We all ate breakfast and headed over to the convention center for worship service, which started at 8:45. This was a pretty short but beautiful service. We then all went to take a full group picture together since we were all wearing our blue symposium shirts. After the picture, we headed back into the rehearsal room for daily notices and began mass rehearsal. This two-hour rehearsal consisted of four out of the nine pieces of symposium music.

Then it was time for our first workshop of the day. Today, we each had three workshops, unlike yesterday when we only had two. Some of the workshops that people in our choirs took were Handbell Olympics, Cross Stitch – Wooden Bell Ornament, Making a Korean-Style Knot Bracelet, Ceilidh Dancing, Exploring Singapore, “So You Can Play Four-in-Hand? What’s Next?” and many, many others.

Moreover, we have two people in our choirs, Chloe and Heather, who decided to play in one of the Ringing Track groups. These groups practice three new pieces of music during the workshop time periods. After everyone’s first workshop was over, we all headed to lunch.

After lunch, we had two more sections of workshops. Some of the workshops were “I’m in Charge, Help,” French-Canadian Dance, Arranging Pop Music, Latin Music and Dance, Drawing Celtic Knots, Touching a Tartan, and many more. After the workshops, we had a couple more hours of rehearsal and finished the rest of our pieces.

Lasagna was served for dinner, with sticky toffee pudding for dessert. We ended the day by watching the Ringing Track concerts, which were amazing to watch, seeing that they had just learned the music the other day.

Roadies:

Today, we took a scenic ride to the west of Aberdeenshire and the base of the Highlands. Driving through quaint towns such as Banchory and Aboyne, we eventually stopped in Ballater in the Royal Deeside area (royals have historically spent time in this area). We explored, ate, and shopped.

Crathes Castle was built by the Burnett family in the 16th century on land gifted by Robert the Bruce for helping fight the English. An extension was added in the 18th century. The Burnett family currently owns approximately 8,000 acres in this area, and the current Laird is a member of the MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament).

While visiting Crathes Castle, some roadies went and visited the castle gardens. They were in awe of the beauty of the gardens and the age of some of the shrubbery. Many say that the roadies got their garden fix in and are taking notes for their home gardens.

Signing off for tonight from Brie and Morgan. Tomorrow is our solo concert so wish us luck from wherever you are reading this.

Day 10 – Aberdeen

August 6, 2026 — Leave a comment

Today our day started with a 7:50 breakfast! It is a buffet breakfast with lots of choices, including
all kinds of eggs, pastries, lunchmeat, fruit, and yogurt. And they had peanut butter and Nutella.
Also, there is a crazy coffee machine that makes about 10 different kinds of coffee as well as
hot chocolate.

After we ate, we walked over to the convention center for some morning handbell ringing! We
got some songs to sight read like “Sweet Caroline” which we played… actually we sight read,
however I think we did pretty well. The day is divided into several different sections. Each
section we work with a conductor and the conductors come from many different countries. It is really interesting to be playing the same songs as many other handbell choirs all in a giant
room. There were a few breaks between songs but we did alright!

A little while after all the ringing and a few much needed breaks, we headed off for lunch. Lunch
was another buffet with potatoes with butter, noodles, and some other food like salad. There are often lots of buffets here so that a large number of people can eat quickly in a short time. After lunch, we gathered in the ringing hall to ring some more! We rang for another hour or so and then each of us had workshops/classes. There were all different kinds of classes. Some of
them were about musical and handbell related things and some of them were cultural. Some
people even made origami! We each went to those and had lots of fun!!

Once the workshops were over, we headed back down to the ringing hall for yet another
rehearsal. This rehearsal felt like it stretched on for eons. We made good progress on the
pieces, but all the ringers were exhausted after a long day with an early start.

Following the rehearsal, it was dinner time. For dinner there was a choice of southern fried
chicken and a chili steak bowl. Both were pretty good and all were rejuvenated after eating
something. After dinner, some ringers went back to the hotel to rest and some remained at the
hall to await the solo concert. The solo concert was very well played, with choirs from Korea,
Japan, the United States, the UK, Hungary, etc. All performed their solos beautifully. Once the
concert was done, everyone made their way back to the hotel for the night.

While the ringers were at the symposium, the non-ringers and roadies started the day with a trip to Stonehaven, a charming picture village on the coast, not too far from Dunnottar Castle. They
learned a few things about the area:
1. This is where the deep-fried Mars bar was invented and people come from all over the world to try it.
2. Stonehaven is the home of a fireball festival on New Year’s Eve.

The festivities start in the evening with food and drink and a pipe band outdoors. And then
around 11:00 PM, 50 or 60 locals prepare large metal spherical cages filled with sticks that they
light on fire. Right about midnight, after the final fire festivities, they take the fireballs down to the
water to extinguish them safely. They then came back the next morning to fetch them.

-Dante and Katrina

Day 9 – Aberdeen

August 5, 2026 — 1 Comment

Today was our official first symposium rehearsal! The day started out with a welcoming opening ceremony as a start to the symposium rehearsing week. Afterwards, while the bell ringers had a packed and exciting rehearsal to commence the day, the Roadies departed on a coach bus to Aberdeen for a day of exploration! After their leisurely ride over, the roadies immediately scoured the city for shops and places to eat as they arrived just in time for lunch at 12 PM. At P&J Live, the bell ringers worked hard through the morning as they had their first rehearsal, running through all the songs with the new conductors and choirs. At lunch time the ringers headed over to the cafeteria and got to have the tasty food provided by P&J! There were sandwiches and a delicious tomato soup.

After lunch, it was time for more ringing. This rehearsal section was our longest, lasting from 1:30 till 6:05 pm with three 10 minute breaks sprinkled in (these breaks were not enough in the end). We got to meet the rest of the directors, learning their styles and quirks as we went along. Some chose to have us play the songs as written, and others decided to rewrite it on the spot, which was personally not enjoyable. However, when discussing the piece with a ringer who didn’t tour with us, the changes were a pleasant surprise. After packing up for the day we had dinner, consisting of noodles and chicken or tofu (pictured below). After this much needed break, it was time for the first round of solo concerts. We listened to 10 groups perform ranging in size from 3 to 20+ ringers. All of the groups brought different talents to the table, as well as different types of bells and ringing techniques. A group from Scotland used a synthesizer that could read changes in the soil and leaves of a house plant, as the plant reacted to the sounds of music they were playing. That was honestly amazing! Even though the day felt like a bust overall for me, on the way back to our hotel, we spotted our first Scottish rainbow, which seemed to fix everything!

-Anna and Kayla

Day 7 – Dundee

August 3, 2026 — 2 Comments

This morning was our second to last day before the symposium to explore Scotland. Our first stop was downtown Dundee. We first stopped in town to explore some of the shops. Most of them were closed, but some of us went to get coffee at Black Sheep Coffee, a popular coffee shop chain in the UK.

After our brief exploration, we all met up to head to St. Paul’s Cathedral to take a group photo and attend a 10:30am church service.

This was an Episcopal church, so it was a different kind of service for a lot of us. At the beginning of the service, the reverend recognized all of the new faces in the crowd and explained how the service and communion would work. We had the option to come up and take communion, just receive a blessing, or stay in our seats, and about half of us elected to take communion. After the service, there was time for tea and biscuits, and we had a chance to socialize with the congregants.

One of the clergy even told us that it was the most participation they’ve had in the hymns in a long time. Following church, we all walked to the V&A museum, where we had the opportunity to walk around the museum and also have lunch.

One of the exhibitions in the museum was about Scottish designs that had a global impact. The displays were about architecture, fashion, engineering, healthcare, and even video game design.

We left the museum, and it was time to get back on the bus and head to our next stop.

After visiting the V&A we drove up to Dunnottar (sounds like “dont know her” in a Scottish accent) Castle on a rocky cliff overlooking the North Sea near Stonehaven, Scotland. The site has been occupied for centuries and became an important stronghold of the powerful Earls Marischal. During the Scottish Wars of independence, it was associated with William Wallace and in 1651 the castle protected the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) from Oliver Cromwell’s forces. Although the castle later fell into ruin, its dramatic setting and rich history make it one of Scotland’s most famous castles.

To reach the castle you have to descend about 180 steps (we counted) then ascend about 75 steps that are carved into the rocky cliff. In total, today we climbed over 450 steps. Fun fact: Dunnottar’s setting was the inspiration for the fictional castle DunBroch in Pixar’s Brave.

After Dunnottar we drove to Aberdeen and checked into our final hotel, which is right next to the symposium. After checking in we had to quickly drop off our bags and get ready for dinner which was at a restaurant called Amarone. Some of us had fried haggis balls in hot honey and those who are vegetarian had a mozzarella fritta. For the main entree it was chicken that was stuffed with haggis and a side of potatoes and green beans. Dessert was a chocolate mousse that was to die for.

All in all a really good and calm day. However we are sore from all the stairs but we can’t wait to see what the next day has in store.

-Julia and Morgan

Day 5 – Edinburgh

August 1, 2026 — 1 Comment

Today was another exciting day in Scotland! This morning we woke up at our current hotel, the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh, and had a delicious buffet breakfast that was provided! After breakfast, we quickly headed to the heart of Edinburgh on the coach bus and indulged in an on-bus tour. We learned about important and famous statues, historic buildings and the city itself. After our interesting drive we went over to the Edinburgh castle. We were given the opportunity to explore the castle, with or without an audio tour guide. All sections of the castle were beautiful, and fortunately the sun was shining for most of our time there!

Next, as the Edinburgh castle was our last activity as a group, we were given the freedom of choosing what to do for three hours. Some people were eating lunch at one of the variety of restaurants, shopping, going to cafes, touring the heart of the city, and seeing architecture from hundreds of years ago.

After meeting back up with the entire group at the National Library of Scotland, we got back on the bus and headed to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is located at the end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and has extensive history as the official residence of the monarchy. As we walked through the palace, room by room, we listened to a different audio for each room which would explain its history and importance. The palace and its garden that covers about 10 acres was absolutely beautiful and very interesting.

After taking another short bus ride, we had about an hour to get off and freely walk around Edinburgh before we met back up to begin unloading the bell cases into the Greyfriars Kirk. This amazing church was in the heart of Edinburgh and was our location for our second concert on the tour. We rehearsed for a short amount of time, got ready and then performed at 7:00 for a crowd of people.

After receiving a great round of applause, we packed everything back up onto the bus and drove to our hotel. Ending our night together, we all had dinner at the Holiday Inn as soon as we got to the hotel and then all headed up to our rooms!

-Brie and Anna

Day 3 – Stirling

July 29, 2026 — Leave a comment

We began the day with breakfast at 7 AM. Some of us tried haggis, a very common Scottish food consisting mainly of sheep intestine!! There were also scrambled eggs, cheese, muffins and fruit for those who weren’t feeling as wildly adventurous. After breakfast, we got on the bus (we have a new driver today – his name is Billy and he’s a delight!) and drove to the village of Luss, a very small town on the edge of Loch Lomond, Scotland’s largest lake. Many of us bought snacks and trinkets at the shop in Luss before we boarded a double-decker boat and had a tour of some of the lake. Meghan got to drive the boat for a little bit (and did a splendid job of it!) and we all sang the song Loch Lomond together towards the end of the boat ride!

After the boat ride we drove further into the highlands and got to pet some fluffy Highland Cows — or Hairy Coos, as they call them here!! They were SO SUPER CUTE and everyone got some good pictures with them. Some people even fed them!

After the cows, we drove to an adorable town called Callander for lunch.

Lunch was really good!! A few of us ate at a very tasty place called “Riverside Inn”. We ended up sharing my food, it was a lot of food!!! After everyone ate lunch, we went for a little shopping in town! We then shopped at a few cute local stores. We found some really cool stuff (clothes, food, etc) as well!! And at 3:30 everyone met up back at the bus to head over to the hotel and a castle that was along the way. The castle was featured in a few TV shows, including Game of Thrones and Outlander!

Before dinner, we all gathered in the hotel and did some fun icebreakers to get to know each other! Some people were surprised when they found out how many symposiums others have been to!!

Dinner was salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans with a delicious creamy sauce. We are still a bit jet-lagged so most of us are heading to bed early!

– Chloe and Katrina

Day 2 – Stirling

July 29, 2026 — 2 Comments

We began the day on our tour bus, we met our wonderful tour guide Ian whose incredible sense of humor lightened the post flight mood. We drove from Edinburgh to Stirling, where we made some stops at different memorials and sights. We started by seeing the kelpie statues, 2 shape shifting water spirits known to haunt deep lochs, rivers, and pools. The statues’ names are Duke and Baron. We then visited the battle ground at Bannockburn, where King Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England. This marked the turning point in the first war of Scottish independence. We made a quick drive past the original Stirling bridge, where Ian told us how this bridge played a role in the Scottish win. The bridge is surrounded by marsh land, which caused the English cavalry to sink in all their heavy armor and weapons. The Scots had the upper hand here as they knew the land and were able to “stab, jab, jab and poke” the English. We then took a quick photo with the Wallace monument, erected to commemorate Sir William Wallace, who is the Scottish hero and patriot who defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Along the whole way, we saw many highland cows and sheep, the cows are known here as a “hairy coo”. We all really enjoyed the hairy coos, much to the dismay of Ian.

After visiting the Wallace monument we all split off in the town center for lunch. There were plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from, which is where most of us went. Following lunch, it was time for us to head to Stirling Castle. Upon arrival, we were given our tickets by Ian and then we were allowed to freely roam the castle grounds. There were so many places to see, and even if it felt like you had seen everything, there was always one more room or one more exhibit to visit. Inside the castle, we saw the Great Hall and the Royal Palace, which has since been refurbished. This was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who became queen as an infant when King James V died. There was also a room filled with the Stirling heads, portraits of kings, queens, nobles, Roman emperors, and biblical figures. The palace interiors have been recreated to how they might have looked when the King lived there. Outside, there were beautiful gardens filled with flowers and herbs. We even saw flowers and topiary designed to look like the Scottish flag and unicorns (the official national animal of Scotland). After the castle, we got back on the bus and headed to our hotel, where we tried not to fall asleep before dinner. We met in the hotel restaurant for a wonderful 3-course meal of tomato soup, chicken, and cheesecake, then headed our separate ways to get some much needed sleep.