Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - The Tobago Region, Northern Region, Eastern Region and South Central Region of Pan Trinbago, wish to express congratulations to Mr. Louis Patrick Arnold on receiving The Chaconia Medal (Gold) at the National Awards Ceremony on August 31, Independence Day 2011. The Chaconia Medal is Trinidad & Tobago’s second highest national award and is bestowed for long and meritorious service to the country.
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Congratulations to Louis Patrick Arnold on being awarded this Medal. It would be nice if those in charge would take a good long look at the arrangers, tuners, and the lowly steelband men who have spent years working away at their art to give the steelpan the prominence it has achieved today. I have a book titled "Search For A New Sound" by Dan Cowan. He talks about the people of the Caribbean and how the native musicians have also developed their own unique band instruments, some of which are fashioned from oil drums. Drum lids are tempered with flame, and pitches are indicated by a standardized notation. There is a picture of some men measuring, and marking out the notes on the pan. I remember one of them from Invaders. The picture could have been taken in their pan yard on Tragarete Road. The Copyright is 1967. The people in the picture also deserve to be rewarded for what they have accomplished.
Cindy, thank you for acknowledging your appreciation towards the people that invented our National Instrument. We are a young Nation, 49 years old, and I am sure that all major contributors to the Pan Movement would be rewarded soon. It is not always Awards that indicate/measure how much the person has done for PAN.
Patrick Arnold held the highest office in the Pan Movement, Pantrinbago. In addition to his Academic Achievement, he is a Band Leader, an Arranger, and a skillful tuner. I would like the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the Region and the world at large, to know who is Patrick Louis Arnold. I would like to invite his Organization to forward a profile of this past President via this Medium/Media. It is time for us to start writing about our Past and present Leaders of the Pan Movement in a Magazine or the sort, A Pantrinbago Monthly or annual Feature. We want to know more about Owen Serrette, Richard Forteau, M'quilkin etc. A short Bio would do. In this way we would appreciate the work they are doing and maintain a positive vibration towards these Guys.