The ICP world steel band competition is a waste of our country's money and proves nothing.
No government or organization in the countries represented will spend money to transport, housed, feed and pay expenses for foreign groups to compete and then pay them prize money and appearance fee and leave their own Music Education System of the ART without funding.
Pan Trinbago and the T&T Government should take examples from some of the West Indian Islands.
They are paying people like Andy Narrel to teach and setup Pan School Systems in their Island.
Ask Pan Trinbago for a list showing THAT all the Schools in Trinidad and Tobago is fully equipped with instruments for a stage side with teachers and a training program. Other question! What was the cost of the ICP Steel band production and how much money was made by the show.
What it did, was to take money out of our school education system and the country without a profit.
SO WE SHOULD CALL PANTRINBAGO SANTA CLAUS.
Note: Every time there is election in Trinidad and Tobago the government in power at the time, always spend money like water and then when the budget comes up at the end of the year of the election they raise everything to make back the money.
Check it out, the history is there. This is the time every department of the government up for pay increase it is paid out around that time. It is done by every party in power at the time.
This money should have been spent supplying every school in Trinidad with a complete Stage Side of equipment along with teachers and a program for teaching the technology.
Most of these schools in Trinidad still does not have their own instrument and hardware to produce a proper group. They have to borrow many Pans and stands from large steel orchestras.
There is also a lingering question as to why Pan Trinbago haven't paid the Panmen their panorama money for taking part in the national competition for 2015.
You have to educate your own first before you give away millions of dollars to show off to others you can do it. I don't know what some people in position in Trinidad is thinking about when they make these decisions.
Pan Trinbago does not have their own building. They are renting and even their own website is not updated regularly yet they say they are the main body in control of the Steel bands world wide.
Most Pan Men and Women get their information from When Steel Talks during the year. You have Diaz in position with election overdue 3 years now according to the local News Paper and he goes around begging the government for money to give away to foreign bands.
Pan Trinbago should be pushing and helping those TOP PAN TUNERS In Trinidad and Tobago to create their own WEB SITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE To advertise their product. Look up the website for some of the best tuners in Trinidad and they are not there. The top two tuners in the world in Trinidad does not have a website with their products. This is what you call putting the Cart before the Horse.
We also have many bands in Trinidad still in need of monetary assistance and a home to practice. From a Trini.
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Well said Aquil. I get numb to some of the statements that grown men make. I wonder, how much of them ever administrate a steel band, OK! sorry, RUN a steelband in the 90's to now time. You are dammed if you make an effort to improve your self. Then Its better to sit back and do nothing I guess. Then they will say, what's wrong with you, you are not even making an effort.
I was there and thoroughly enjoyed myself on the track. I don't care who did win now. The music, its all about the music and the instrument people. Market and promote the instrument please.
Well said, can't disagree with nothing you said.
A strong view such as this would have been more useful if it was made on the second day of the ICP conference under the theme of Education. The ICP conference was the best place to get an answer to this valid though controversial concern instead of seemingly hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and social media. A lost opportunity.
Should we also do away with the Olympics, Panam Games, FIFA and World Games.
Try to think outside the box and be strategic.
I think constructive criticisms helps to shape, mold and develop any organization, so keep them coming because the organization is listening. First we must establish pantrinbago is not the president and the executive members, we are all PANTRINBAGO. The organization is not perfect but the executive are listen to our membership and with their guidance they are implementing things to enrich the organization. We the members of pantrinbago must feel comfortable to criticize and the executive should recognize your input as valuable. However we must be carful of our intent, if we are criticizing because we want to bring down the name of your organization and not uplift then we must ask, in who best interest we are seeking the organization, our self? I am not accusing anyone of any thing , I am just saying let not destroy our own thing, if we don't like how its being managed, elections are coming.
There are over 200 steelpan ensembles with teachers who are trained to deliver a formal music program at our primary, secondary and at our tertiary schools which falls under ministry of education and pan in schools. These are the initiative of pantrinbago . Pantrinbago not to long ago supplied 20 schools with sixteen piece sets of pans and although there is a demand from more schools there is no room at the schools to accommodate a sixteen piece set. In addition the schools who cant accommodate the steel band has two tenor pans. the system is still not perfect but we are getting there.
The ICP should be viewed as an investment. carnival earns an income of one billion dollars every year for our country annually and based on what I saw Sunday the ICP has that potential. If this is event is marketed right it could the one of the biggest shows we would ever see. It could be the world of cup pan, think of that potential.
WST's bloggers seems intelligent, the organization needs your input, lets help each other make the pan world a better place.
aquil arrindell
interim education officer
pantrinbago
with love music sounds better.
Thank you for your input, Aquil.
We do need more input from Pan Trinbago on this forum, even if the discussions sometimes do get a bit heated.
But that is to be expected in an open forum such as this.
Pan Trinbago should be complimented for this venture. The "Trini" mentality is simply 'you eh doin' nutten', but if you do, 'we go criticize yuh anyway'. Gimme a break with this 'caca de toro'.
Bands in Trinidad need 'monetary assistance' and a 'home to practice'. Please name the bands and advise them to do something to generate funds.
Again, I congratulate Pan Trinbago for this venture.
This poster appears to be just a T&T tax-payer that is concern about how HIS tax dollars is spent. I don't think that this was an investment the government made, they just gave the funds with no intentions of being repaid. If I was a T&T tax payer I would be deeply concerned also. This was a mega PR stunt by PanTrinbago at the expense of T&T taxpayers.
That's one of the things that governments do , Cecil, they use tax dollars to fund cultural activities.
And it pays of in many diverse ways that affect the well being of its citizens, and not all of the benefits can be quantified on an accountant's spreadsheet.
Let me repeat myself; this is also about culture , which we seem to keep forgetting.
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