‘Earthy Things Made Even:’ Experience musical activism this year at the annual Folklife festival

Northwest Folklife Festival runs May 26-29 at Seattle Center

The Daily -

Niva Ashkenazi

Courtesy Photo

When Oriana Estrada filled in for a steel drum (or “pan”) player in a music group, she never expected to pick it up so easily. She realized this was a skill she could share with her friends, and eventually, any woman with an interest in music. She noticed something strange about the music scene: How it tends to disproportionately include and focus on the achievements of men.

In 2013, Estrada created the Seattle Women’s Steel Pan Project (SWSPP) alongside Michael Shantz, who introduced her to the steel drum, and is now the group’s artistic director. Since then, the group has done multiple performances at the annual Folklife Festival, and this year they’re preparing for their most ambitious show yet.

“The great thing about steel pan is that it’s really accessible,” Estrada said. “You don’t have to know theory, you don’t have to study music extensively, anyone can pretty much jump in if they have a decent sense of rhythm.”

The ease of playing steel pan is usually what enables women from all backgrounds and experiences to join the project. Dedicated to providing a welcoming learning environment to all women, the group not only showcases its performances, it also provides low-cost steel pan lessons for all community members.

In fact, some of the players in the current ensemble were first introduced to it when they attended a performance, and were later easily integrated into the group. This was the case for Heidi Hanson, who first joined by taking a beginner’s class in February 2016, and became a part of the performance group by the next month.

“This has been a really great space for me to be able to come in,” Hanson said. “And everyone is very welcoming and open to everyone’s backgrounds and life experiences. So you can come in here and be yourself and just play the music.”

Forum