A beautiful noise

By Sterling GilesThe Suffolk News-Herald

The sound of rhythmic clanking reverberated off the walls of the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts on Tuesday evening. Opening the door to the source of the noise revealed a room full of children hammering away at concave silver contraptions.

A dread-headed black man was hunched over a student as he motioned what areas of the instrument, referred to as a steelpan, to hit to get a desired sound. Seemingly unfazed by the noise, in the corner of the room, parents attended to their reading and conversations.

“I enjoy the sound,” said James McCullough Jr., one of the parents in attendance. “It is relaxing. It helps the kids and me to relax.”

Mosaic Steel Orchestra students performed at the inaugural International Panorama in Trinidad and Tobago last August.
Mosaic Steel Orchestra students performed at the inaugural International Panorama in Trinidad and Tobago last August.

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  • Wonderful. Keep going with this, please. hope that you teach the young ones and their parents the history of this musical instrument as well.

  • I like the term used by Giles...."Concave Silver Contraptions."

  • Very impressive. How is it that anything related to pan overseas seem to be well organized?
    • patrick, I think part of the answer to your question is there is no opposition to the ruling governing body, they do what ever they like and most times it has a negative impact to the organization.

    • QUALITY ADMINISTRATION!!!! I have said that many times before.

      PAN in the MECCA has all the money in the world but WEAK (and corrupt) ADMINISTRATION and PAROCHIAL VISION!!!!

      Hopefully, the XPAT and LOCALS organization will solve that problem.

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