To the general public:
You are invited to a forum to discuss " How we can save pan in New York". We see it, we know it and we live it.
This forum is for everyone who manages, captains, plays, supports and most importantly love pan. We need to have this discussion, all ideas are welcome.
There are lots of people who posted very good thoughts and plans on when steel talks forum, so please come out to present them on this day, Saturday October 5th, 2013, 2-5 pm @ Crossfire rehearsal site on the corner of Bedford and Snyder Ave (basement). We need all the help we can get and when I say we it not only means USSA but Pan in New York.
Please come with your thoughts compiled and ready to present them, the time is short and we would love to hear all ideas.
Keith Marcelle
Replies
Mr. Marcelle - thank you for bringing the young Pannists forward - your second paragraph left me feeling very positive about the future - you are focusing in the right direction - on those young Pan men and Pan women. No disrespect to the elder Steel Band leaders - but these young people are the ones that will keep Pan alive and growing in the future - without them Pan will die - just take a good look at the ages of the pannists that are actively playing - in the summer - panyards full of young people.
These young people have a vested interest in keeping the culture very much alive - these panyards needs to be there when time to bring their children to learn the culture.......Thanks again.
Mr. Marcelle: You never gave us a report on how the meeting turned out. We are waiting for your update!!!
I'm sorry, a few things came up.
It was a successful forum in that two city representatives came along with six members of WIADCA and one from J'Ouvert city and two when steel talks regulars. We lacked the elder steel band leaders, six steel bands were represented, only one elder from those bands and the other five we the Youth of pan, actually there were two bands that had double representation. With the City Council Members there the discussion centered around the shut down of Steel bands practice nights. Some attendees did expressed disappointment on the turn out by bands, asking " where are the bands". I'll tell you something we will work with what we have , eventually the meetings will be full and all will fall in.
The good things were of course the youth attendance, I was advised to focus on the youth since they are the present and the future. We will of course continue to encourage all pan people to be present and contribute and also work on one topic or one concern for each meeting. I am optimistic and very encouraged about where we will be heading. I thing the City Council Members that were there were very impressed that for the first time the three major organizations of Caribbean carnival were in one room pleading the same case together and supporting each other. They have pledged to assist and have already made overtures to that pledge. We will set the next meeting for the end of the month, the day will be announced by this weekend.
We won't able to address your topic points but I promise that we will cover them.
Thank you for the positive response to our efforts,
Claude, We usually have so many Discussions on this forum and we were unable to give enough Comments for MR Marcelle to present to his meeting last Sat Oct 5th 2013, I do hope the meeting was a success.
Question
What is the status of the following plans posted on WST after the installation of new officers January 13th 2010:
This organization is going to embark on a very ambitious journey. I must first apologize to past and present members, during my previous tenure, mistakes were were made, mistakes I must accept full responsibility for. I have been given another opportunity to lead this great organization and I intend to do that with transparency and by being inclusive, all members will be heard and all members will have an important and critical role to play with the development of USSA.
We are going to:
1) Amend our by-laws to reflect some things
a. The insertion of the word Caribbean in our aims and objects.
b. Erase the minimum requirement of players in a band seeking membership.
c. The inclusion of individual members such as Panist, Tuners and Arrangers.
2) The establishment of a Youth Education and Culture committee, allowing the youth of the organization to plan and execute projects and events, the further pursuit of educational pan programs in schools and preservation of the culture of pan.
3) Stop being a panorama only organization.
4) Establish an Events committee, to plan promote and produce events throughout the year.
5) To have more fiscal oversight over all events and projects of the organization.
6) The establishment of a training facility to teach the building and tuning of pans, have our very own pan factory, creating jobs and setting up our whole sale and retail outlets.
7) Reach across the ocean and America to form alliances with other Steelband organizations.
Thank you Urban Pan for the reminder.
We have established some of those things.
We do have lots more work to do and that's what this forum is all about, I not ashamed to say we need help, we are by no means perfect nor do we have all the answers, so we are trying to reach out to you and others like you, become a member bring fresh ideas, plans, help us open some doors that have been shut to us. USSA has done good things but with your help and others like you it can do great things, we are committed to working with. WIADCA and J'Ouvert City for the benefit of a better, stronger Caribbean and Carnival Community. Time for all the infighting to stop, it does not help only hurt.
I can feel the frustration coming from the pan lovers who would like to retain the original "pan culture" of yesteryear. But the fact is that culture is not static; and it is that evolution in pan culture that is so difficult for so many to accept. Ideals are just that.
Would like to attend unfortunately the service for Cyrus Busby is 4 - 5 so I would be unable to attend. I hope its not too late to consider another day.
Unfortunately it is We have elected official attending who confirmed earlier this week. We were only in formed today about Cyrus however we will cut the program short by one hour and schedule another one as soon as possible.
Keith Marcelle
I have looked at all post we will mention them at the forum, however if anyone has a the ability to attend, please do so. We also have to cu the program short by one hour, there is going to be a funural service for Cyrus Busby at 4pm we won't want anyone to miss it.
Thanks to everyone that contributed to the post all ideas will be mentioned and considered. We have also invited both mayoral candidates, along with legislative leaders, West Indian American Day Carnival Association Inc. and J'Ouvert City International Inc. We must come together!
Keith Marcelle
Chairperson, United States Steel Band Association Inc.
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