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Massachusetts, USA
- This past weekend the prestigious Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) held its annual ‘Campus
Preview Weekend’ (CPW). This is the annual 4-day
weekend when high school seniors who have been admitted
to MIT come to campus to visit and see what the school
has to offer in every possible area of college life.
And once again the steelpan instrument became a
significant part of this landscape as hundreds
of students, parents and faculty became fixated on
Pantonic Steel Orchestra as they performed their varied
repertoire in two sets on this beautiful Spring day in Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
This was Pantonic Steel Orchestra’s fourth
consecutive year performing at the event officially
known as “The 4th Annual
CPW Steel Pan Jamboree,” and the band’s fifth
appearance in as many years. Indeed the New York-based
orchestra’s performance has become a fixture and much-anticipated part of the event,
and campus life. However, beyond the
great weather, this year was somewhat different as the
band was greeted with a large banner heralding Pantonic Steel Orchestra’s
performance in the steelpan jamboree.
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| Beaver and Pantonic
members |
The banner commanded pride of place on the upper facade
just above MIT’s Stratton Student Center, where Pantonic
performed to the front. Both the band and
welcoming banner could be seen from any vantage point,
especially by all arriving on the MIT campus. The
signage - commissioned and designed by event organizers
MIT’s Caribbean Club - clearly indicated that Pantonic
Steel orchestra had become part of the MIT’s
consciousness on one of the most important days of the
institution’s schedule.
One of the
organizers explained that the CPW was the key occasion
to influence the prospective MIT attendees who were in
the stages of making their final decisions as to which
institution they would attend. In this regard, it
is extremely satisfying that one of the major welcoming
experiences these future scientists and technical gurus
will remember and can document, is the performance of
Pantonic. The ironic thing was just how natural
the situation seemed on the college walk of MIT.
No waving palm trees, no sandy beach, no coconuts, no
rum and coca colas, no pina coladas. Just skilled
musicians at their best.
This was for
many of the onlookers, the first time they ever experienced a true
steel orchestra. Most of the students and parents
watched with fascination, intrigue, and curiosity.
One lady from Colorado ventured over and asked “Is this
what you call a steeldrum?” She admitted she had
never seen this before, and was totally drawn to and
fascinated with beholding not only one instrument, but a
significantly sized band. She asked a plethora of
questions, intent on getting an introspective of the
phenomenon of the steelpan instruments, and the
mechanics and physics behind it.
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student from Holland
checks out pans
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One group from
Holland seized the opportunity during the break in the
music session to examine the instruments and their
construct (that’s an engineer for you!) up close, and
after briefly experimenting himself with the sticks and
pan, admitted out loud that “this is a lot more
difficult than I thought!” MIT students, including
those who were themselves prospective freshmen a few
years ago, have now come to expect
the signature presence of Pantonic as a part of their
campus preview weekend of activities - so much so that some of them
now actively wanted to know where they could
learn to play the pan. One young man in particular
came across, gushing that he now looked forward to
seeing Pantonic every year, commending further “Great
performance, as always!” From other students,
there were choruses of “See you guys next year!”
For those who were immediately on hand - they were
intent on nabbing musical moments; at one point there
was a large group concentrated with cell phones held
high, capturing the band as it performed.
Pantonic was in
ripping form as arranger and leader Keith Roberts lead
the orchestra through a complete set of tunes that
included Ne-Yo’s current smash “Mad” to calypsonian
David Rudder’s “High Mas.” And even MIT’s mascot,
Beaver, found himself dancing to the pulse of Pantonic’s
groove. As the pan music travelled outwards toward
the main street thoroughfare of Massachusetts Avenue,
heads turned in the direction of what was a unique sound
on the campus. Accompanying
Pantonic for the performance at MIT was the music
organization’s president Glenda Gamory. Ms. Gamory
remains one the most accomplished, respected and
powerful women in steelband management circles.
Parents who
came with the students were pleasantly surprised and
quite pleased with the diversity of showcasing in terms
of MIT college life, culture, thought and overall
stimulus of mind - in essence: to consider that, which
was never considered before (the ultimate
engineer’s dream and mandate). Pantonic was a
great example of the ‘cultural’ impact of engineering -
with the musical marvel that the steelpan still is to
many, and which captivates with the sheer science
behind this innovative instrument. The orchestra
was right at home and on stage front and center,
alongside the ‘technological’ world of MIT’s finest,
most promising, and its latest potential cadre of
brainpower. Future physicists, biomed
professionals, scientists, roboticists, astronauts - in
the presence of the science of the steelpan. And “why not” - as the late master arranger
Clive Bradley
would have asked?
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Pantonic front-line
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The five-time
New York panorama champion, Pantonic Steel Orchestra,
has received many awards and accolades over the years;
however establishing the steelpan instrument and being
recognized as a significant part of the CPW is
an achievement in itself. It was indeed a great day for pan
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
According to
Chris Chapman, Executive member of MIT’s Caribbean Club
- “The CPW Steel Pan Jamboree attracts pre-frosh,
students, faculty, and passersby to come enjoy a side of
MIT some of them may not be familiar with. The event
introduces prospective students to a glimpse of MIT that
they may not get to see due to the fact that usually
during CPW, several events can occur at the same time in
different locations. These prospective students learn
first-hand that MIT is very culturally diverse. To put
it simply, they see that ‘we are not all the same around
here!’ Additionally, this event has a positive effect on
the decisions of many underrepresented minority students
to attend MIT, which pertains to the Office of the Dean
for Undergraduate Education’s strategic theme of
‘Championing Diversity, which ensures that minority
students are well represented at every level of
education.’”
contact Pantonic at
www.pantonic.com |
pantonic1@aol.com
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More on Pantonic at MIT
Pantonic at MIT’s 2009 CPW - In Pictures
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