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An Explosion of Steelpan Talent CASYM Youth Explosion - In Pictures Brooklyn, New York - CASYM truly exhibited their mandate on Saturday June 17 when they showcased their Youth Explosion at PS (Public School) 91 in Brooklyn. In their own right CASYM steel orchestra is known for their versatile performances throughout the tri-state area. However for about two and a half hours, the spotlight belonged to the next generation of budding musicians, with the steelband as their instrument of choice. For the evening, these excited youngsters would display music and skills they learned and honed in the CASYM spear-headed steelpan music education programs they had each been a part of in their respective schools.
Each set of
pan players
Other crowd-favorite moments included the
visual effect of the 'tinymites' - those who were so minute in stature,
Some of these young pan stars spoke to When Steel Talks - eagerly sharing the fact that several had older siblings and parents who played; at least one parent was in CASYM's senior orchestra. Others proudly said that they played other music instruments including the recorder, violin and piano; those that did not, said they intended to learn. Almost all said, at this point, they intended to continue playing in steel orchestras. Asked what was most challenging regarding the steelpan art form at this stage for some of them, a chorus of replies touched on various factors, some of which were much the same experienced by even more seasoned players: the ease or difficulty in executing some arrangements, playing pans which were laid out differently to those they used regularly, and occasional nervousness when performing before an audience.But on Saturday, excitement and pride won out for the young pan players, as in most cases they overcame their shyness and reveled in the admiration of the audience in the auditorium. At the end of the evening, they were all invited back on stage one final time, as CASYM Class 1 closed the evening with an encore performance of Arrow's Hot Hot Hot.
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www.CASYM.com , CASYM Youth Explosion - In Pictures
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In the
audience (right) were proud mamas, papas, siblings, and other family and friends
who alternately whooped and hollered encouragingly when their respective
pan-playing family members were introduced 
Program instructors and assistants were Travis Roberts,
Michelle Williams,
Anthony Lewis, Joalene Griffith, Lakeisha Danglade,
Janel Fanklin and Zalyia Grillet, all members of CASYM's main steel
orchestra. Present were Williams Jones, (pictured
left) president of CASYM, who made a short speech before the
performances got underway, and Councilwoman Yvette Clarke
(pictured right) who spoke briefly then introduced the first
steelband for the evening, from PS 91. According to the program,
proceedings were scheduled for a 6:00 PM start, but got underway a
couple of minutes before seven.
performed at least two selections, others as many as four.
The youngsters were then individually presented with certificates
denoting successful completion of the steelpan music course. PS
109 added a bit of variety to their segment when their tenor bass player Priscille Navas, temporarily exchanged her pan sticks
for a microphone
(left), and showed off her
other talents as a vocalist, singing Wind Beneath My Wings.
Navas stole the show at that point. The musical repertoire
presented by the steelbands was familiar to all, and included well-known
fare such as We Are
The World, Stand By Me, Sugar Bum Bum and Lambada.
that
they barely reached their pan instruments; one was even given something
to stand on so she would reach her guitar pans. Another was Kyle
Frederick who played with CASYM's Class 2. At eight years of age,
Kyle
(pictured right with Sheianne
Danglade) is a veteran on the double guitar, having been part of CASYM's
classes for at
least three years; for the majority of that time he had to stand atop a
box in order to reach his instruments to play! At Saturday's show,
and with a flow and strum that would put some adults to shame, Kyle
generated as much attention as did his young band mate beside him, nine-year
old Sheianne Danglade; she was not that much bigger than him.
