Lessons from campanology for coproduction

 Campanology is the proper name for the kind of bellringing you do in a bell tower, where each ringer is ringing one bell by pulling alternately on the furry bit or the tail end a rope (while remembering to let go of the furry bit but never letting go of the tail end...).

It struck me that guidance for coproducing a beautiful sound in campanology is very similar to guidance for coproducing a society where public services and people using them share and achieve an aim. 

Here are some rules for campanology. See if they ring true [sorry, couldn't resist the pun] for you in your coproduction.

1.   Know the method* so you have an overall picture of how everyone will move.

2.   Know your place and how you will be weaving between the other bells.

3.   Watch the ropes and listen to the spacing between bells.

4.   When things go wrong, hold your own place in the ‘dance’ so others can orientate themselves back into the right place, but also be willing when there are small wobbles to accommodate those before and behind by shifting fractionally from where you should be - it makes the everything sound more harmonious even though you yourself are now not exactly where you 'should' be. 

5.   If all goes horrible wrong, call 'rounds**' and once everyone is back into the basic rhythm and 'holding pattern' of rounds, and has worked out what went wrong, try again.

6.   It's not about blaming the one who got lost. It's about working out how to all get it right together next time.

7.   The neighbours don't listen to individual bells to see which one is getting it right. They listen to the music. 

8.   Towers*** stand or fall by their tower captain. But all towers need a mix of skills and personalities to be strong, fun places to spend time and learn. 

9.   You've never arrived as a bell ringer. There's always more to learn. But from quite early in your ringing career, you can be part of making simple beautiful music.

* method – a pre-agreed pattern for how the ringers will change the order in which the bells are rung

** rounds – when the bells are rung from highest note down to lowest note in order

***tower – the group of bellringers who belong to a particular bell tower