I am putting this out there for consideration, it may be controversial to some as well as with some others on point. Some may not want to see the logic and truth about what I state, my hope is that we all can look at it and realize we must make some substantial changes with how we view and operate with the instrument, orchestra and panist and this is as it relates to New York.
Where can I start. Elders of pan have wrongfully thought the youth the old ways of pan in Trinidad and Tobago, being a badjohn, maintaining rivalries and so on, fortunately for the youth, they rejected some of those old ideals and have coalesced beautifully putting their older counterparts to shame. Here are some other things we must consider.
(1) Anything we do or any where we need to go to advance the instrument, orchestra and panist starts with leadership. Leadership that embodies, vision, unselfishness, understanding, a willingness to seek advise where needed, admit when we don't know something , try very hard to be inclusive, embrace all aspects of pan, the young, old, Trinidadians, other Caribbeans, Americans, Europeans and all other nationalities.
(2) Understand where we reside, how to utilize things to our advantage and when some of the traditional aspects of pan will not work, make adjustments that will help our cause.
(3) Setup everything in a business manner, follow all regulations and policies instituted by the Local, City, State and Federal agencies of the American government. Do your yearly budgets, keep bank accounts, use checks for payments and employ bookkeepers to do you financial books.
(4) Involve yourself and that of you organization (band) with the community where you reside or rehearse. Sponsor or co-sponsor events that includes the other residents of you community. Setup work shops demonstrating the versatility of the instrument, in-cooperate other instruments with the pan.
(5) Work towards owning property.
(6) Stop beliveing and teaching that Panorama is the all there is, put it in it's right contex, one of many show the Orchestra can partisipate in during the course of the year. Stop the notion that an Orchestra needs one hundred (100) players to be successful and help out your fellow orchestras that may not be able make a required number to perform.
Now I know this will take time, but look at how long we have been here and we have gone no where close to where we should be.There maybe other ideas that would work, please feel free to add them.
AND STOP FIGHTING DOWN EACH OTHER. WE SHOULD BE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!!!!!!!
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It is sad to say but the problems that Steelbands faces in New York today is the same as it has always been, you cannot do anything if you don't generate income.
Keith Marcelle, Your ideas is a blueprint for success. Those are some of the same sentiments I shared way back in the late 1970's. However, no one saw my vision for the future of our pan movement, because most were short sighted and were only seeing the few cents at hand, when I was seeing the hundreds into thousands for the future, but I never envisioned what is now today, {MILLIONS.} My ideas were suggested to my fellow Metro Steel members soon after we had changed the band's name from Despers USA in 1978. I relocated to California a year later, so my dream died. (That is a lost opportunity lol).
I am most interested in point #5. We have to pool our resources and become a "COLLECTIVE ENTREPRENEUR"
HOW AND WHEN DO WE START?
You have to be able to FIGHT THROUGH DETAILS!!!
And you cannot expect INSTANT RESULTS!!!
Good morning. Let me apologize, I thing my title way be throwing this discussion in the wrong direction, if you look at the content of my statement, there are no references to the music aspect or the instrument itself.
My issue if the blatant ( i use this word carefully) STUPIDITY by which we as bandleaders operate, manage, run, conduct the BUSINESS of the Steel Orchestra in the better part of the five borough area. The instrument has definitely evolved, and so has the music, but the manner in which we operate our bands, is as if we are still back in the 60s and 70s in Trinidad and Tobago, there are so many resources available to us here in NY and we don't take advantage of them, we want to rely on hand-outs, we DON'T take the avenues that are three to make things better for us. The Steelbands in NY are the most poorly run in the world, here is an example of what I speak, a few years ago 2013 Pan Fantasy came to NY Panorama after many years, a lot of Brooklyn were in awe of the quality of their instruments, that Roland Harrigan produced those instruments, why I don't know he does it every where else, the simple fact is that everywhere else people pay for better quality, here we want to get a deal, we want cheaper prices, we want to get a break, well you get what you pay for. As I said before there are bands that should not attempt to participate in a panorama because they don't have the funds to participate, yet it's the only thing the exist for, they pack up there pans and racks anywhere they can, how many times have you heard about racks being destroyed by NYC Sanitation because they were on City property unlawfully, then we the pan community blame the City, why, they didn't put it there, they didn't give permission to put there, they are not the ones not wanting to upgrade the manner in which they do their business and what is so glaringly obvious, this is not there culture, they didn't create it nor did they ask for it to be here, that's all us, and it was a great thing that was done, but we stupidly operate the business of Steelband.
Steelbands is as I said all over the world but only in NY are there the problems to the degree that they are, right here in this country in other states, Steelbands are managed much, much better, now understand me I am not saying that they don't have problems, what I am saying is that in NYC the media, fashion and just about every other industry capital of the world, why is that Steelbands are suffering as they are.
We all need to wake up and as they say "SMELL THE COFFEE", we have all the tools that are necessary to do the job, we just need to refocus what and how we do it and also place the right people in the position to do it, find people outside of any of the Steelbands, no Bandleaders, no one that have been there before, people who can conduct themselves in a business manner, people who can be fare and unbiased and will not favor any one band over another, also again Steelbands cannot operate on Panorama alone and NYC is fast becoming a place that will not allow us to operate they way we have, in particular the way Panorama is done and the way Steelbands function.
Not "only in NY are there the problems" The only thing synonymous with all the problems in steelband is Trinidadians. How do you fix that? We are not ready and we are not preparing to be. Sad. Just an example of the business of pan in the "Mecca", panorama/carnival was the first week of Feb. 2016, we are in the first week of July 2016 and not a dime has been paid to panmen.............can someone analyze that???
I agree that we have to find qualified business people outside of the business to handle the business effectively.
Well said , Kieth Marcelle. And very thought provoking.
The steelband movement In North America , and New York in particular face special problems that are very unlike those of Trinidad.
Living in New Hampshire , I do not know the day to day problems faced by the steelbands in the Big Apple ,but I think that I have a pretty good idea.
Before I go any further , my friends , consider this.
Labor day in Brooklyn attracts the most carnival revelers than anywhere in the world , including Trinidad.
As a matter fact , it has been known to attract numbers equal to more than three quarters of the entire population of T&T.
Yet , if you drive a few blocks away from the Eastern Parkway, it is almost as if the festival did not exist.
This massive cultural festival is swallowed up in the big city , and even the media coverage is limited.
Steelbands are seen , even by Caribbean folk , as a summer time cultural activity , and the focus on Panorama does not help.
Unlike Trinidad , conditions in the US make it difficult to maintain a steelband year round , and there are logistical , cultural and political reasons for this.
I think that the steelbands should try to widen their focus from just the summer festival and the panorama competition to more of a focus on gaining exposure in the greater New York area year round., along with a more active role in local politics.
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Having said that though, I know that it will not be easy to achieve.
This would mean having far sighted and thoughtful leaders , with enough knowledge and understanding of US media and politics to both promote the art-form , and to use the potential of organized players and associates of the steelbands to apply political pressure to achieve reasonable goals ( like addressing police harassment , for example) .
Steelband may have to figure out the best way of using a united steelband organization as a political weapon,, since everything we do is affected by politics
Thank you Mr. Joseph, I wish that there were many more people in New York that thought the way you did.
Full disclosure, as of last October I have signed off on any involve in pan, other that spectator. I became tired of banging my head against the wall, that same month I became aware of a improper procedure at a meeting, where an action was taken, a motion was moved and passed without the presence of a quorum, so at the next meeting i brought it to the attention of the members which at that day also did not meet the requirements of a quorum and also stated that all action and motions moved and passed were null and void, well you would think I killed someone , I was , called a liar, thief and told I was making things personal. Sorry I have spent thirty-eight years, began at the age of eighteen, fighting for steelbands and panists, being part of different movements to the cause, didn't always make the right calls but my heart was totally absorbed in the movement, I ignored spending time with my family in service to the movement, so I had the last straw and walked away, I will help bands and panists where and when i could, but never again will I be involved with being part of any Steelband Association in New York. Some are only in for themselves, and are not willing to elevate the level by which they operate. I am sorry that some will suffer for the actions of few.
That's why I said I wished there were many more people like you in New York.
speaking of everything we do being affected by politics, people of Hispanic origin have now become the nation's largest ethnic or racial minority -- and growing rapidly. And since the African-American vote is an AUTOMATIC DEMOCRATIC VOTE -- we are VERY SHORT on POLITICAL WEAPONS.
If Julian Castro gets selected for the VEEP spot -- all fall down for Black People in this country!
Panorama is true pan and pan is panorama. Number (6) is the whole reason for this concern. Please don't mess with panorama Keith.
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