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Web Posted -
Thursday
August
2,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Laventille Steelband Festival
Parade 2007 |
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Trinidad - Patrons attending this year's staging of
the eight annual Laventille Steelband Festival (LSF) Parade
are promised a more compact programme, following the
organizer's decision to reduce the length of the parade
route. Julien Cudjoe, deputy chairman of the LSF Foundation
said: "The parade will now start from Pashley Street instead
of Mc Allister Street, Laventille. The route has been
shortened by one block. Bands will start the parade on a
leveled surface along the Eastern Main Road and end at Leon
Street as usual." He said steelband representatives
complained about an incline that exists between these
streets, which make it difficult to roll their pan racks.
"That problem has now been addressed," Cudjoe declared.
Thirty-nine of the world's finest conventional and single
pan bands are listed to appear at the Festival, with the
theme Proud to Be.III, on Sunday, August 5.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 25,
2007
When Steel
Talks |
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What the Bands are Playing
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New York's Panorama 2007 |
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Friday
July 27,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Grant gives boost to
steel pan music |
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 United
Kingdom - A community group believes it will set a UK
precedent for steel band music after receiving a £50,000
grant to launch a unique project, starting in the Caribbean.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Second
Generation (SV2G) was told it secured the large grant last
week from Arts Council England (ACE) after applying earlier
this year.
SV2G, which set up the Wycombe Steel
Orchestra a year ago, will now send between four and six
players to Trinidad to become qualified tutors.
They will be taught the syllabus of steel
pan playing and thus become the first teachers of the
instrument to introduce a graded system to the UK.
Currently a graded system is said not to
exist in the UK but the syllabus originated in Trinidad and
Tobago and is widely taught in the USA.
Once qualified, the tutors will teach
budding players on the orchestra's waiting list by taking
them through the syllabus.
This will mark the starting point in
SV2G's Steel Pan Education project, with the
trainee-teachers jetting out to Trinidad in late August.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 25,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Eastern Kentucky
University Steelband
and Miami University Steelband
in the Spotlight |
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A Steelband
Celebration |
 USA -
History was made on Saturday, March 31st,
2007 as the Miami University (MU)
Steel Band and the Eastern Kentucky University Steel (EKU)
Band presented a joint concert at
Hall Auditorium, on the Oxford campus of Miami University.
The two bands, uniting for the first time, performed a
diversity of musical styles, with a focus on original music
for steel band.
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click for full story and see video |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 24,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Still Waiting for an Apology |
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"Unjustified
Attack on Pan In The Classroom Unit" |
Trinidad - Like Mr. Joseph, it is not my
desire to engage in banter over these issues,
but when misinformation is being peddled, I must
clear the air. Again, I must lament that, given
the excellent personal relationships with
members of Pan Trinbago's Central Executive (as
Mr. Joseph acknowledges in his regard), a simple
phone call could have cleared up the
misconceptions and misunderstandings.
It is most unfortunate that, as the Public
Relations Officer of Pan Trinbago, Mr. Joseph
cannot discern between the Pan In Schools
Coordinating Council (a private body comprising
teachers that seeks the interests of schools as
related to the steelpan) and the Pan In The
Classroom Unit (a Unit of the Curriculum
Development Division of the Ministry of
Education). I trust that this is his personal
confusion and not that of the Central Executive
of Pan Trinbago.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 25,
2007
Trinidad Express |
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 Trinidad -
Steelpan will soon be more than music to the
ears, it also will be a sight for sore eyes and
create a new industry.
A new business venture embarked upon by
Panland Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (formerly known
as Trinidad and Tobago Instruments Ltd) has
brought colour to the world of pan. After
observing the finish of NAMM's (National
Association of Music Merchants) coloured pans at
instrument trade shows in USA, Panland CEO,
Michael Cooper was determined to find the source
of the glossy finish and rainbow colours that
graced the foreign pans and bring that home to
our pan men.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 25,
2007
Trinidad Express |
Breakthrough in major key
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Trinidad -
Ace pan inventor and tuner, Bertie Marshall,
tells the story of the time when he suggested to
the late Dr Eric Williams that the then
government help fund the experiments which he
was conducting at the time, Dr Williams curtly
asking the steelbandsman if he expected him to
take the people's money and put it in pan.
How times have changed with Dr Williams'
longest surviving successor, Mr Patrick Manning,
doing exactly that by now funding what Prof
Brian Copeland, head of the University of the
West Indies Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department, has called "the second most
important milestone in steelpan history''.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 24,
2007
The Nation |
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Lapping up the pan waves |
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 Barbados
- Thousands of pan lovers soaked in wave after wave of
melodious music at the BS&T Super Centre Esso Pan Pun De
Sand event on Sunday afternoon.
Although the crowd at Brandons Beach did
not swell until four or five in the afternoon, those who
arrived early were treated to a variety of genres including
hymns, reggae, soca and operatic selections.
The Steel Arm of the Ellerslie Folk
Chorale spouted energy as they kicked off their session with
an pulsating rendition of Iron Basodie, made popular by
Square One, followed by several uptempo numbers including
Biggie Irie's infectious Nah Goin' Home. The previously
low-keyed crowd finally responded with enthusiasm, with a
few listeners even getting out of their seats to dance.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 24,
2007
Antigua Sun |
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Pannists outdo themselves at
inaugural Caribbean Five-A-Side Competition |
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Antigua - Starting
over an hour late, the inaugural Caribbean Five-A-Side
Competition got underway on Monday night before a very small
crowd at the YMCA Sporting Complex.
Each participating band, comprising five
members, had a minimum of five minutes to perform a piece
which had to be Antiguan in origin. Additionally, to make
the presentation more interesting each group had to
dramatise the piece which was being performed.
Starting the ball rolling was an Antiguan
band, Furious Five, a spin-off from the Hell's Gate Steel
Orchestra. For their dramatic presentation, they appeared
with cellular phones in their hands dancing and singing to a
few bars from Red Hott Flames’ song Text You, giving a fair
idea which song they would be playing. With a single tenor,
double second, triple guitar, six bass and drum set, they
launched into an admirable performance of Text You.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 24,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Gary Straker’s Pan School off to Aberdeen Youth Festival |
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Trinidad -
Yet another youth steel orchestra will be flying the Trinidad &
Tobago flag at a major international festival.
This time, it’s the Gary Straker’s Pan School Orchestra of Arima.
The 25- member contingent will be traveling to Scotland to
participate in the 2007 Aberdeen International Youth Festival -
“The World of Youth Arts”, from August 01st to 11th
2007.
The students whose ages range from nine to twenty one years have
been practicing for long hours.
As Straker, arranger and Chief Executive Officer of the School
said: “The members of the school are hyped, spirited and elated
to have been chosen from many to represent Trinidad & Tobago at
the Aberdeen Youth Festival.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Monday
July 23,
2007
This is
London |
Steeling the carnival
show
|
 United
Kingdom
- A giant steel bands competition that
unofficially kicks off the Notting Hill Carnival weekend
will take place in Hyde Park this year.
The National Panorama Championship will
see nine of Britain's top steel bands, comprising up to 75
musicians, compete for the title National Champions of
Steel.
The move to the park is part of a
continuing plan to improve the organisation of the carnival
and reduce the pressure on its home in west London.
The organisers and Ken Livingstone have
also buried their differences after tensions last year, when
the Mayor launched his own Caribbean festival in Hyde Park.
The Mayor described the steel bands event
as "a welcome development, building on Panorama's historic
position as a key part of the celebrations and as the
successor to Caribbean Showcase, which has previously been
held in the park".
The theme of this year's carnival - the
43rd - is Set All Free, acknowledging some forms of slavery
continue today as well as marking the 200th anniversary of
the abolition of slavery in England.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Sunday
July 22,
2007
Nations News |
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Pan-tastic! |
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Barbados
-
THE NEAL & MASSY TRINIDAD ALL
STARS steel band was the life
of the party as the RBTT Pan In The City came off at Heroes
Square, Bridgetown, yesterday.
With the All Stars closing off the show, it seemed as though
the best was kept for last as the exuberant pannists from
the Land of the Humming Bird had scores rushing to the stage
to get a closer feel of the pan vibes.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Sunday
July 22,
2007
Irinidad
Express |
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High hopes for new pans |
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Trinidad
-
Steelpan icon Len "Boogsie" Sharpe has expressed support
for recently announced innovation the "G-pan", describing it
as the future of the national instrument.
He described the new pan as "a good thing".
"The volume you get from those pans is awesome," he said,
and he pointed out that it would be quite useful for
small-sized steelbands.
The pan was unveiled at the University of the West Indies in
conjunction with the Office of the Prime Minister on July
14.
Pelham Goddard, steelband arranger and musician, said he did
not mind the tenor pan being changed to a G-pan version but
disagreed with the substitution of the middle pans with one
pan. He said the double tenor, for example, had its own
characteristic tonal quality and plays a voice in an
orchestra, the guitar pan played melody, and the tenor bass
helps the low note to "come out".
Goddard has a problem with
the term "replacement" and said that instruments cannot be
replaced such as tenor sax or alto.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Sunday
July 22,
2007
Irinidad
Express |
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Shaking the pan world |
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Trinidad
-
Q: First, how did you all
keep this secret?
A: We really don't know.
[Laughs] We expected it to be out within two months.
[our] intellectual property regime required signatures
of non-disclosure agreements [NDAs].
People knew something was
going on, to do with steelpan, but not the details. Last
guess was something like 50 [NDAs were signed]. And it
still remained secret. About 15 [people worked] in this
part of the project. Richard McDavid, who headed the old
Cariri project in the Seventies that was mothballed, and
Keith Bell, two key people in metallurgy. Clement Imbert,
who wrote the proposal to government with me.
The tuners, Birch Kellman
& Roland Harragin, who themselves had to sign NDAs.
Birch even hid the secret from his wife. [Chuckles]
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Sunday
July 22,
2007
Irinidad
Express |
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Our pan parable |
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Trinidad
- I read Keith Smith's series on the G-Pan last week, and at
first was excited that again we were returning to pan, to
claim what is ours. And I was eager to engage on this, pan
being iconic in our land. Then I came to the penultimate
paragraph of his final piece, and realised that while this
trilogy was about pan on the surface, deep beneath it was
potent social commentary.
Smith places before us the
paradox that those communities that gave us the beauty of
pan also provide us now with the ugliness of murder. And
then he invites us to consider some social algebra,
basically asking which of the two contributions, the good or
the ugly, Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde, predominates?
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Thursday
July 20,
2007
st. Lucia Star
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North Stars
defeat defending champs Diamond Steel |
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 St.
Lucia - For years senior Panorama has been held at
the Vigie Sports Complex and on Friday six bands competed to
be St Lucia’s
Panorama champions at the new home for pan in Beausejour.
Hundreds turned out to listen to the best of St Lucian steel
pan.
Many positive changes were noted in the venue
including the fact that everyone was able to get seating,
more food stalls were available and there was more space for
patrons to move around. This year the crowd size for the
event had doubled, maybe tripled. The first band to hit the
field was Busta Emerald Steel. Pan Exodus followed fifteen
minutes after coming on dressed in suits with madras ties
and belts to compliment their attire. Their upbeat
performance was well received by the crowd.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Thursday
July 19,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Pan Trinbago Says "No
Respect" |
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From
Pan in Schools Coordinating Council
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Trinidad
- My duty as an executive officer
of Pan Trinbago is to defend the integrity of the
organization and to protect it to the best of my ability
from exploitation and abuse internally and externally.
Therefore, I find it very strange and unfortunate, when my
friend and mentor Mr. Victor Prescod (to whom I have always shown
respect) chose to take my response to the fact that Pan
Trinbago is being treated with disrespect by the Ministry of
Education Pan in School Coordinating Council as a personal
attack on him.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 18,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Utopia Pan Soul - The Next Generation - Gone
"Crazy"
on YouTube Steelband Music Video Channel |
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 New
York
-
Recently, the always-musically intriguing
and innovative (the first to introduce the parallel bass
pan configuration - 1996) Utopia Pan Soul: the Next
Generation performed at the
Pan on the Move Festival in Baltimore, Maryland.
WST news division captured their performance of Grammy award-winning
Gnarls Barkley's hit "Crazy". This week you can
catch Utopia Pan Soul performing at the
Sound Session '07 concert
in Rhode
Island, USA. Click on the link below to see
Utopia's performance as this week's featured steelband
music video on WST's YouTube channel.
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click here to see video |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 18,
2007
Trinidad Newsday |
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New high-tech
steelpan unveiled |
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Trinidad - After
some 23 years of research and testing, the
Department for Music Technology and Mechanical
Engineering at UWI has come up with an advanced
type of pan. The high quality sounding pan set
was unveiled by Prime Minister Patrick Manning
at UWI on Saturday evening.
Termed “Steelpan
Revolution,” the instruments have as many as 37 notes
when compared to the 27 notes found on the standard
instrument. The new instruments also carry the octaves
not used in the ordinary pan.
Manning assigned Prof Clem Imbert, Prof Brian Copeland,
and Junior Regrello to a special committee to do the
necessary research for the invention.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 18,
2007
Trinidad Express |
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Pan on the move ... again |
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Trinidad - If the
G-Pans project triumphantly unveiled by the
Prime Minister at UWI on the weekend does in
fact pan out then it would be the most
revolutionary steelband departure since Ellie
Mannette took it into his Woodbrook head to sink
and tune pans inwards rather than outwards. I
say "if'' not because I am pessimistic about the
proposed pan prospects but because the steelband
fraternity still has to embrace the various
dimensions.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Monday
July 16,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Summer PANSKAN XIV Kicks Off |
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Basseterre; St. Kitts - A group
of parents have come together in order to
form the Earl “BOOTS” Jones Steel Pan
Movement a movement which is dedicated to
the life of the late Earl Jones who played
and taught steel pan for many years.
“The movement was formed earlier this
year in an effort to keep steel pan music going and
will host its annual summer PANSKAN from July 16th
to August 25th” said Atisha Byron
Assistant Secretary of the group.
The six weeks programme will feature
morning sessions from 9am to 12noon, afternoon
sessions from 1pm to 3pm and sessions for adults in
the night from 7 to 10. The programme instructors
are Craig McDowell, Yasid Francis, Mellie Hewlett
and a few members of the St. Kitts/Nevis Steel
Orchestra.
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click for full story |
Web Posted -
Sunday
July 15,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Maryland Still Pan-Rocking
Baltimore's Harbor View Pan On The Move -
the Woodstock of Steelpan Music |
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 Baltimore, Maryland
- In a few weeks New York will become the toast
of the steelband music world as it gears up for
the 2007 Panorama competition. However,
there is no doubt the place to be this weekend was
Baltimore, Maryland. Not to be outdone or
overshadowed, Baltimore held it's annual "Pan on
the Move" steelband music festival. Local
area steelbands from Maryland, in addition to a
contingent of groups from New York and a
group from Philadelphia all participated in this
year's
show. The event is the brainchild of the
Baltimore
Education and Culture Institute (BECI).
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Saturday
July 14,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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North Stars Steel Orchestra cops 2007 St.
Lucia Panorama Title |
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St. Lucia, W.I.
- Formed in the 1960's, North Stars Steel
Orchestra showed that four decades later, they
continue to have the stuff champions are made
of. Performing Ivan Smith's arrangement of
Melé, the band
took the stage at St. Lucia's Beausejour Cricket
Grounds at 10:49 PM on Friday 13 July,
performing in the line-up of six orchestras
competing for pan supremacy.
By the time results were announced the venerable
steel orchestra had dethroned defending
champions Diamond Steel, in the country's 2007
national panorama competition which ended before
1:00 AM. Last year's champs had to settle for
second place honors, with Pantime Steel
Orchestra who took the stage with an Amrit
Samaroo arrangement of
Heat, securing third position in the
hotly-contested event. |
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Friday
July 13,
2007
Niagara This Week.com |
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Steel band drums across the region
P.K. Hummingbird provides free lessons to Niagara's youth |
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 Thorold, Ontario, Canada.
- The sound of steel can be heard from the
basement of a Windle Village Cres. home in
Thorold South.
As the mallet hits the pan, individual notes
form beautiful songs.
The P.K. Hummingbird Steel Orchestra has been
providing free music lessons to youth of Niagara
for nine years. It has moved around the region,
finally settling in the basement of Patrick
Nunes, who started the group nine years ago with
Kay Charles.
Nunes said the pans are in his blood. Nunes was
born in Trinidad, where the steel pan was
invented, and heard the sounds of the steel band
as a child. At the time the steel pan was seen
as something unemployed people did, and Nunes
and many others were not allowed to play.
When he moved to Winnipeg more than 35 years ago
he joined a steel band and picked up the
practice quickly. He always had an ear for the
steel pan.
"I was born into it," Nunes said. "I wasn't
allowed to play when I was young, but I guess
I've always known. When you grow up with it,
it's in your blood." |
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Thursday
July 12,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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"Not
True !" Ministry of Education
Responds to Pan Trinbago's
Charges |
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Trinidad - As Project
Coordinator of the Pan In
The Classroom Unit of the
Curriculum Development
Division of the Ministry of
Education, I must respond to
this posting to clear the
good name of, not only the
Unit, but also that of the
Ministry of Education.
In my
capacity as Project
Coordinator, I also serve as
Convenor of the Joint
Committee of the Ministry of
Education, Pan Trinbago,
Inc. and the Pan In Schools
Coordinating Council that is
planning for the National
Junior Steelband Music
Festival. Let me assure all
members of the steelband
fraternity that a
representative from pan
Trinbago, Inc. has:
-
attended
each meeting of the
committee;
-
participated fully in all
discussions; and
-
agreed
with all decisions taken
thus far.
If, for some
reason, Officers of Pan
Trinbago, Inc. are unaware of
this, then that speaks to
weaknesses in the internal
processes of Pan Trinbago, Inc.
Further, given the good personal
relations that I have enjoyed
with Mr. Joseph and other
members of the executive of his
organisation, I am at a loss to
understand why he could not pick
up the 'phone and call me to
clear up any miscommunication.
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Wednesday
July 11,
2007
When Steel Talks |
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Registration for
Trinidad and Tobago Panorama 2008 begins on July 16 |
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Trinidad -
Steelbands and orchestras interested in participating in
Panorama 2008 are reminded that registration forms are available
and can be collected from the various Pan Trinbago regional
offices.
Registration commences on Monday 16th July and closes
on Monday 06th August 2007 and bands should make
every effort to submit their completed forms within the
stipulated time.
Panorama Preliminaries or Judging in the Pan Yards takes place
on Monday 07th January and continues until Tuesday 15th
January 2008.
Dates for the National Semi Finals and National Finals (Medium &
Large) are Sunday 20th January and Saturday 02nd
February 2008 respectively at venues to be announced.
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 11,
2007
Trinidad Newsday |
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Jnr Steelpan winners
collect prizes |
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Trinidad - Whenever
and wherever humans existed in history, music
was part of their soul and this was so because
music was of importance to ensure pleasurable
living.
“It is natural to
wonder what values music has bestowed on all humans
universally,” Sharon Douglas-Mangroo, director of the
Curriculum Development Division of the Ministry of
Education said as she deputised for Education Minister
Hazel Manning at the awards ceremony for the 2007
National Junior Panorama competition at the Rudranath
Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, Mc Bean, Couva on
Monday.
WINNERS OF THE
VARIOUS CATEGORIES:
UNDER 13 - (1) Diego Martin Boys’ RC (Trophy and
$12,000); (2) Casaetal Steel Orchestra (Trophy and
$11,000); (3) Grant Memorial Presbyterian (Trophy and
$10,000) and (4) Belle Garden AC ($9,000).
UNDER 16 - (1) St Margaret’s Boys’ AC. (Trophy and
$16,000); (2) Mt Hope Junior Secondary (Trophy and
$15,000); (3) Merry Tones Junior Steel Orchestra (Trophy
and $13,000) and (4) New Town Pan Ensemble ($12,000).
UNDER 21 - (1) St Augustine Senior Comprehensive (Trophy
and $25,000); (2) Renegades Steel Orchestra (Trophy and
$24,000); (3) Woodbrook Government Secondary (Trophy and
$23,000) and (4) Tokyo Youths Steel Orchestra ($22,000). |
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click here for full story |
Web Posted -
Tuesday
July 10,
2007
When Steel
Talks |
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New York Steelbands
Rearing Up
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Harmony Launch Draws Pan Aficionados |
|
 New
York - It's
"Pan-Time" in New York City and in case
you did not know, pan is a big deal in
New York. The metropolis - famous
for its massive steel and concrete
structures, entertainment and cultural
activities - becomes the epicenter of
the largest and most intense
concentration of steelband music
functions for the next two months.
Undaunted by the less-than-friendly
housing conditions coupled with the
gruffness of the city officials -
steelband reigns supreme in the Summer
months in the Big Apple.
This past weekend
Harmony Steel Orchestra located in central
Brooklyn held its annual steelband launch.
This is the third launch of the season with
Crossfire and D'Radoes already having had theirs
the previous week. As always with all New York launches, slated to
perform were some of the top steelbands in
the region. Steelband launches have developed
into a very important aspect of the New York
City steelband music landscape. While not
required, all bands that are part of the New York
pan fraternity seek to participate in the launches for a
myriad of practical reasons. First of all,
it is a means of allowing the steelbands a way to
raise funds that will partially help out
with the huge financial commitment they must
make, to be ready for the Panorama
competition at the end off the season.
Second, it facilitates an avenue via which the bands support each other
and leads to self-sufficiency. Third, it provides a
means for the bands and their members to showcase
themselves to their fans, the public and other
bands - which is critical in terms of player
recruitment and maintaining fan bases. Last
but not least it allows the bands to
evaluate where they stand in comparison to the
other participants musically.
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