Youths learn steelpan, music theory in Govt’s music literacy camp

Young people countrywide have been learning the art of the steelpan through the “Right Start Pan Minors Music Literacy Camp,” which was launched last month by the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry in collaboration with Republic Bank.
Aiming to develop a new generation of steelpan players, this camp has been open to selected youths in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) since July 24 and will continue until Friday.
In Region 10, the participants learning at McKenzie High School in Linden, shared their experiences.

Though 14-year-old Akira Campbell has been playing steelpan within her school band at Queen’s College, she saw the opportunity to expand on her abilities during this camp.
“I wanted to come to this programme because I wanted to broaden my horizons. There are different pans and I wanted to try something new and share my passions with others,” Campbell said.
“This is a great initiative by the Government because it will help to spread awareness. Most people don’t know about steelpan and I’m really glad to see we have a good amount of people here to have fun and play together,” Campbell said.

While each camp has the capacity to cater for 35 children, Campbell is among the 19 who have been partaking in the Linden-based camp.
Echoing her sentiments, thirteen-year-old Tavia McPherson also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to gain new skills and encouraged others to participate when the camp reopens for new entries.
“The experience is very fun. I like the instrument, I like the people and I like the instructor,” McPherson said.

Meanwhile, the camp’s youngest participant, eight-year-old Aden Adams, already had some familiarity with the steelpan as he plays the instrument at his school – Watooka Day Primary School.
“[I like steelpan] because it teaches me a whole other level of music and because I have a big band of friends so they could help me learn about new notes,” Adams said.
“I feel happy because if [this camp] was not here, [my brother] Amar and I would just be stuck home doing nothing so I’m happy that it’s here so we all could play steelpan,” Adams said.
Instructor Daniel Daly has been playing the instrument for some 15 years, having been a member of the Buxton Pride Steel Orchestra before joining the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
He has been teaching steelpan for five years now and expressed his hope for the eventual creation of a Linden-based steelpan band.
“Personally, you have to have the love for it. Steelpan, in Guyana, is not a big thing as it is in Trinidad but as instructors, we’re trying to push the art form to another level, trying to put more bands in schools and if I can do more community work in schools, it would be better for me,” Daly said.