Posted by Noah on April 22, 2013 at 10:24am in Panorama
As posted in another thread. I think it deserves its own discussion:
I may get lambasted for pointing out a silver lining but I wonder if this delay in payment will discourage the increasingly out of control practice of hustlerism. I dont mean playing with a band in each category or following an arranger, I mean playing with a half dozen single pansides in one zonal prelims alone. I mean carrying a backpack full of jerseys to the Savannah and moving offstage to the east several times at semis to meet your next band. I mean going onstage without knowing the name of the song or the arranger! I personally see all of this happen! Its one thing to get compensated for ones hard work but playing half of a tune and shadowing the rest hardly constitutes hard work. Yet they amass a dozen or more Pan Trinbago checks for prelims.
People are so concerned abut this supposed evil empire taking advantage of the players. But at the same time, there are players who are taking advantage of the system, and the music suffers. The idea of playing for money and not for love of the music or the instrument is being encouraged more and more with this hustler behavior. PT tried to stop this by one person=one check, which resulted in a bunch of aunties and cousins suddenly "playing" with a bunch of bands. And until PT reduces the size limits of the bands, this will continue and PT, the bands, and the movement will bleed money. For most bands struggle to make the minimum, and warily have to use the hustlers to fill that gap. Sadly that gap tends to only be filled on stage...
I feel the need to state that this isn't an observation made from three thousand miles away when I watch panorama on the internet. I am there, I work with bands, arrangers, and managements annually. I see the problems and I hear their concerns. And my viewpoint doesn't stop at the Phase IIs and Neal and Massys and Exoduses and WITCOs and so on, but extends to those bands and arrangers who catch their ass every year, have no sponsor, and have to compete with each other for renegade players like pigeons fighting over breadcrumbs. Don't believe me? Visit a few east conventional bands on the nights leading up to single pan prelims in that region and tell me what you see...I bet it won't be a band practicing.
I hope Mr. McQuilkin is still visiting this forum because I would like to respectfully propose two changes to the system which would help this issue.
1. Reduce size limits for each category by fifteen to twenty players. A lot of bands struggle to make numbers, and resort to hustlers who by and large are in it just for the prelims check and don't care if the band makes it through, as only the PT prelims check is guaranteed when working with an impoverished band. And now that the PT check is seen as up in the air, these bands might not even be able to depend on the hustlers anymore, and may have to drop to a smaller category or not come out at all, neither of which are positive for the bands or the movement as a whole.
2. Move single pan competition to later in the year. Single pan has become an attractive way for hustlers to get many checks and do less work. But the conventional bands suffer. Moving this out of the carnival season would alleviate that. The single pansides almost universally play older tunes so timeliness of music is not a concern. It would also spread out the money throughout the year which means less bookeeping at once for PT, and another windfall for players out of the carnival season. Bonus: the single pansides, freed up from panorama during carnival, could instead focus on fulfiling that long-lamented lack of pan music on the road. I know people on this forum would just love that. And wouldn't we all like to see more pan events throughout the year?
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The culture of Pantrinbago is driven by the 117 bands/groups (Single Pan and Small band) at the lower end of membership categories. These groups contribute the least to the development of the instrument, music and organization. A large population of these groups has no permanent residence or players. They are recruited at carnival time to provide players for the named entity. This situation is supported by leaders/owners who want to 'eat a food'. The majority of the population of players participating at Panorama with the 154 bands/groups are from the sectors of students, unemployed, underemployed, casual workers and daily paid workers. The uncertainty in the economic lives of these individuals drive the desire to hustle an income where ever possible. The thinking and justification that permeates the decision making of these individuals are formed by the employment programs since the 70s (Crash program, DEWD, URP, CEPEP).
Carnival participation in Steelbands is not about making music it is about adding to the survival income. The Leadership of Pantrinbgo is aware that PANORAMA is the only event that justifies their existence hence they are not going to institute any change that could reduce the level participation. I am not convinced that some of the surgical procedures suggested will save the patient. More Pan events during the year is good but the single pan and small bands are not going to provide attractive events with greater marketing potential. Note the failure of Pan in the 21st and the Steelband festival. Analysis of the culture space is needed to find the proper product and timing for propagating Pan events that would increase exposure and income for players.
There has to be a multi-level approach that addresses needs of the players and the legitimate band leaders. As society we are not incline to doing the in depth analysis that would provide the guidance for significant change. We have to raise serious questions about the structure of the Pantrinbago organization. We have to ask question about the mission and objectives of Pantrinbago. We have to ask questions about the criteria for participating bands in the PANAORAMA competition. The Pan makers, Arrangers and Players have taken this instrument and culture into the 21st century we now have to decide what type of organization we need to advance the instrument, music and culture.
A quick review of Pantrinbago will expose a leadership, memberbands and individuals who are reluctant to change the culture of this organization. The change has to come from within hence the current membership has to agree that all the demands for greater recognition, more funding and a more effective organization is not going to happen unless the strengths and weaknesses are exposed and effectively managed for positive growth.
All attempts to date by professionals to introduce change that would bring greater transparency and accountability have failed.
We have the review these failures and search for the individuals who can elevate PAN to another level...
I want to offer some simple solutions to try and help solve some of the problems faced by bands in attracting more players.
1. Bands need to start back training new players during the year, so that by the time panorama comes around they may be ready with new players to meet their requirements.
2. Band leaders need to get together and share information re: players? an average player should be allowed to play with only say 2 bands no matter what category. Band leaders need to talk to each other about this situation as a number of bands are short changed by these so called "crack shots" most only play the first half of the song and skate through the second half. That affects your band's overall points, as the judges deduct points from your score as the volume of the music drops, and their is no crescendo in that part of the song. they know that the band is under rehearsed.
3. Some sort of arrangement should be made between bands and schools, mainly primary schools to utilize the July - August vacation for the purpose of training young players, if done in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Community Development, Sports and Youth affairs. The benefits to be derived : Organised activity for primary school students during the vacation - more of our youth would be operating in a controlled disciplined environment. and can learn more about the national instrument.
4 Employment opportunities for Arrangers, and all tutors from the national steel orchestra should be assigned to a band. Payment to the bands for the use of their instruments for this programme. This should encourage bands to be willing to participate in this program, as their instruments will not be beaten out of tune by these new students. They, the bands can now afford to have their instruments re-tuned.
At the restart of the school term, there can be a competition among all these "school bands" some time in October.
It can now be optional for the bands to keep this program running, through out the year with the aim that these students can become members of their panorama band.
This, I believe can be a solution to the problems affecting all bands, except a few. Lets have some comments please.
Cecil hinkson > withfield weekesApril 22, 2013 at 10:57pm
Withfield,
I'm in total agreement with bandleaders getting together to share info. this would be beneficial to all, especially keeping tabs on Pan Trinbago's activity.
Pan Yards should always have activity, they can be used for day care for preschoolers and offer tutoring and other after school activity in the afternoon.
The Pan Yard today should have something to offer the whole family. There are so many small business steelbands can get into, thus creating employment and being of service to their community.
Steelbands must look beyond panorama and carnival and learn to make use of the rest of the year.
Cecil, thanks for your kind compliments. Your thoughts on utilizing the pan yard space was one of the many things I wanted to implement when I was Education Officer. In 2010, I addressed a meeting of the Northern Region at Casablanca pan yard. At that meeting I attempted to get the bands of the Northern region to start small businesses and business units, e.g. At the back at every secondary school, there are maybe, over 400/500 chairs that the students have destroyed, the plan was for the band leaders to approach the Ministry of Education with a plan to repair some of those chairs, for re-entry in the school system, this would have created employment for band members and could have placed the band in a better financial position as moneys would have been earned from this venture. Check any secondary school and you will see what I'm talking about.
In the case of Casablanca, they are in a good position, the Port of Spain General Hospital, is a stone's throw away from the pan yard. Why can't they, the band approach the chairman of the board of the NCRHA, for a contract to repair all those broken down beds at the POSGH, not only would the band make money, but they will be alleviating a crisis in the country - a shortage of bed space, another form of generating income? A random survey of the bands in attendance at the meeting showed that 20 of the 25 all had a welding plant, chop saw and other equipment for repairing any item in steel, and you and all in the pan world know that pan man can make and fix anything.
I also spoke about using the yard space to start a chairs, tables and tent rental business? I am sure that this would have also generated much income for the bands, as every week someone in Belmont dies, there's a wedding, a party or some activity where those items would be required.
What I found out from most of the band leaders present, is that they lacked the know how, to proceed with the establishment of a business etc.
I was removed from office for standing up for my rights, (without appearing before any disciplinary committee, or any tribunal, so that a defense can be made, as the so called constitution of PTB calls for.) Those ideas were never given the opportunity to be implemented and never saw the light of day.. The plan, was to continue the development of a training manual for band leaders I had started when I was chairman of the South/Central Region with the then head of the Petrotrin Learning Centre, an avid pan aficionado, the training would have included: Human Resource management - Public relations - Basic Accounting - Conflict resolution - Advertising - Health and Safety standards - Introduction to computers - (the SCR had already received 4 from a state enterprise) and an Introduction into Project Management so that band leaders would have learnt how to fix the cost price of the goods and services they were offering.
Hopefully, in another time someone with a vision can bring those things to the table at the Central Executive level so that the bands can move from the present status under which some now operate, waiting and depending on hand outs.
Bertel Gittens > withfield weekesApril 23, 2013 at 9:27am
Withfield, no wonder why things are the way they are, you are too BRIGHT. Let us all hope things change very soon for the sake of PAN.
Bertil, you looking for bacchanal, I don't consider myself bright, it's just that God gave me some gifts that I wanted to share with the pan community. Those were only some of the new initiatives I wanted to bring to the table, but some members of the executive thought otherwise.
Remember in 2010, during PAN MONTH we had BAD JOHN DAY, well at that same time I had started HEALTH FAIRS for all pan men/women in all the regions, where members and their families could have attended at Renegades - North - Skiffle Bunch - South - Exodus - East ( we did not pull off the Tobago region as there were problems with the Tobago regional Health Authority. ) and get tested for a wide range of clinical issues. e.g.HBP - Diabetes, HIV, Hearing and Vision screening, do you know that BAD JOHN DAY was promoted more than the health and welfare of the members of our organisation? Do you know too, that I produced a flyer to be posted at all pan yards, so that members would know when the Health caravan would be in their area and it was never produced. do you that since then , another HEALTH FAIR was ever done, and there will not be any.
You see why they teamed up to expel ,me from Pan Trinbago. And they love the members.
Bertel Gittens > withfield weekesApril 23, 2013 at 12:28pm
If every Pan Person speak out about the ILLS of the Pan Body openly, and speak LOUD like what you are doing now Withfield, things WILL change, but no body wants it to change or are afraid, so the THUGS will have their way. We always get what we deserve.
Bertil , a lot of our band leaders are unhappy about the current situation in PTB, but fear of victimization is keeping them back, then too there are those who are being favoured, and are not willing to give up that status, although they know that things are not right. If you check the bands that are chosen to play at PTB events, you will understand?
Replies
The culture of Pantrinbago is driven by the 117 bands/groups (Single Pan and Small band) at the lower end of membership categories. These groups contribute the least to the development of the instrument, music and organization. A large population of these groups has no permanent residence or players. They are recruited at carnival time to provide players for the named entity. This situation is supported by leaders/owners who want to 'eat a food'. The majority of the population of players participating at Panorama with the 154 bands/groups are from the sectors of students, unemployed, underemployed, casual workers and daily paid workers. The uncertainty in the economic lives of these individuals drive the desire to hustle an income where ever possible. The thinking and justification that permeates the decision making of these individuals are formed by the employment programs since the 70s (Crash program, DEWD, URP, CEPEP).
Seen....
Excellent
I want to offer some simple solutions to try and help solve some of the problems faced by bands in attracting more players.
1. Bands need to start back training new players during the year, so that by the time panorama comes around they may be ready with new players to meet their requirements.
2. Band leaders need to get together and share information re: players? an average player should be allowed to play with only say 2 bands no matter what category. Band leaders need to talk to each other about this situation as a number of bands are short changed by these so called "crack shots" most only play the first half of the song and skate through the second half. That affects your band's overall points, as the judges deduct points from your score as the volume of the music drops, and their is no crescendo in that part of the song. they know that the band is under rehearsed.
3. Some sort of arrangement should be made between bands and schools, mainly primary schools to utilize the July - August vacation for the purpose of training young players, if done in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Community Development, Sports and Youth affairs. The benefits to be derived : Organised activity for primary school students during the vacation - more of our youth would be operating in a controlled disciplined environment. and can learn more about the national instrument.
4 Employment opportunities for Arrangers, and all tutors from the national steel orchestra should be assigned to a band. Payment to the bands for the use of their instruments for this programme. This should encourage bands to be willing to participate in this program, as their instruments will not be beaten out of tune by these new students. They, the bands can now afford to have their instruments re-tuned.
At the restart of the school term, there can be a competition among all these "school bands" some time in October.
It can now be optional for the bands to keep this program running, through out the year with the aim that these students can become members of their panorama band.
This, I believe can be a solution to the problems affecting all bands, except a few. Lets have some comments please.
Withfield,
I'm in total agreement with bandleaders getting together to share info. this would be beneficial to all, especially keeping tabs on Pan Trinbago's activity.
Pan Yards should always have activity, they can be used for day care for preschoolers and offer tutoring and other after school activity in the afternoon.
The Pan Yard today should have something to offer the whole family. There are so many small business steelbands can get into, thus creating employment and being of service to their community.
Steelbands must look beyond panorama and carnival and learn to make use of the rest of the year.
Cecil, thanks for your kind compliments. Your thoughts on utilizing the pan yard space was one of the many things I wanted to implement when I was Education Officer. In 2010, I addressed a meeting of the Northern Region at Casablanca pan yard. At that meeting I attempted to get the bands of the Northern region to start small businesses and business units, e.g. At the back at every secondary school, there are maybe, over 400/500 chairs that the students have destroyed, the plan was for the band leaders to approach the Ministry of Education with a plan to repair some of those chairs, for re-entry in the school system, this would have created employment for band members and could have placed the band in a better financial position as moneys would have been earned from this venture. Check any secondary school and you will see what I'm talking about.
In the case of Casablanca, they are in a good position, the Port of Spain General Hospital, is a stone's throw away from the pan yard. Why can't they, the band approach the chairman of the board of the NCRHA, for a contract to repair all those broken down beds at the POSGH, not only would the band make money, but they will be alleviating a crisis in the country - a shortage of bed space, another form of generating income? A random survey of the bands in attendance at the meeting showed that 20 of the 25 all had a welding plant, chop saw and other equipment for repairing any item in steel, and you and all in the pan world know that pan man can make and fix anything.
I also spoke about using the yard space to start a chairs, tables and tent rental business? I am sure that this would have also generated much income for the bands, as every week someone in Belmont dies, there's a wedding, a party or some activity where those items would be required.
What I found out from most of the band leaders present, is that they lacked the know how, to proceed with the establishment of a business etc.
I was removed from office for standing up for my rights, (without appearing before any disciplinary committee, or any tribunal, so that a defense can be made, as the so called constitution of PTB calls for.) Those ideas were never given the opportunity to be implemented and never saw the light of day.. The plan, was to continue the development of a training manual for band leaders I had started when I was chairman of the South/Central Region with the then head of the Petrotrin Learning Centre, an avid pan aficionado, the training would have included: Human Resource management - Public relations - Basic Accounting - Conflict resolution - Advertising - Health and Safety standards - Introduction to computers - (the SCR had already received 4 from a state enterprise) and an Introduction into Project Management so that band leaders would have learnt how to fix the cost price of the goods and services they were offering.
Hopefully, in another time someone with a vision can bring those things to the table at the Central Executive level so that the bands can move from the present status under which some now operate, waiting and depending on hand outs.
Withfield, no wonder why things are the way they are, you are too BRIGHT. Let us all hope things change very soon for the sake of PAN.
Bertil, you looking for bacchanal, I don't consider myself bright, it's just that God gave me some gifts that I wanted to share with the pan community. Those were only some of the new initiatives I wanted to bring to the table, but some members of the executive thought otherwise.
Remember in 2010, during PAN MONTH we had BAD JOHN DAY, well at that same time I had started HEALTH FAIRS for all pan men/women in all the regions, where members and their families could have attended at Renegades - North - Skiffle Bunch - South - Exodus - East ( we did not pull off the Tobago region as there were problems with the Tobago regional Health Authority. ) and get tested for a wide range of clinical issues. e.g.HBP - Diabetes, HIV, Hearing and Vision screening, do you know that BAD JOHN DAY was promoted more than the health and welfare of the members of our organisation? Do you know too, that I produced a flyer to be posted at all pan yards, so that members would know when the Health caravan would be in their area and it was never produced. do you that since then , another HEALTH FAIR was ever done, and there will not be any.
You see why they teamed up to expel ,me from Pan Trinbago. And they love the members.
If every Pan Person speak out about the ILLS of the Pan Body openly, and speak LOUD like what you are doing now Withfield, things WILL change, but no body wants it to change or are afraid, so the THUGS will have their way. We always get what we deserve.
Bertil , a lot of our band leaders are unhappy about the current situation in PTB, but fear of victimization is keeping them back, then too there are those who are being favoured, and are not willing to give up that status, although they know that things are not right. If you check the bands that are chosen to play at PTB events, you will understand?
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