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It’s Steelband Time in Nigeria with the Third Secondary Schools’ Panorama

Posted by Pan Times on October 31, 2011 at 10:44am in When Steel Talks Exclusive

Nigeria - The first day of November is a day of Steelpan in Nigeria, as the Nigerian Schools Steelband Panorama is held for the third time. Last year, seven steel orchestras participated in the event and this year, additional schools which were in the audience as spectators will now take the stage themselves. In all, twelve orchestras are expected to duel in the battle for steelband music supremacy with the goal of winning top prizes. “We expect more schools to participate each year as more schools get interested and want to join up in the competition,” Chief Bowie Sonnie Bowei tells When Steel Talks. Bowei, who came up with the idea of the Nigerian steelband competition is also President and founder of the Nigerian Steelband Association.

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Bowei, Bowie, Nigeria, Panorama, Schools, Sonnie, Steelband, president

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Ian Franklin October 31, 2011 at 11:13pm

I heard that the Government of T&T will indeed look into allocating funds for the ARTS. This is my paraphase of what I heard at the late Dr. Pat Bishop funeral last August. I know that this topic is about PAN EDUCATION and not specically the Arts. However, we are a small country and it is my understanding that The Powers That Be, will indeed take all kinds of education into consideration. How soon this will take place; that will depend on us. (What do I mean by us, go figure)

On a lighter side, the Government of Nigeria has asked for two of our arrangers and one Steel Orchestra to visit their Country
Bugs October 31, 2011 at 2:08pm

Congrats to nation of Nigeria.

bugs
Janice Lawrence-Clarke October 31, 2011 at 12:03pm

Well! How lovely to know that countries around the world have Steelband Competitions, even in their schools - while the land wherein the Steel Pan was invented, has removed its teaching from the education system...nice~NOT!
- jerome ebenezer clarke > Janice Lawrence-Clarke October 31, 2011 at 6:50pm
  
  Well this is unbelievable,,no steelpan music taught in the schools of T&T,,,this is a total disgrace,,,and i do hope that those concerned and whom are in authority do read my comment,,it,s a total shame,,i was a former music teacher in Guyana having two schools in one week,,thereby being seconded to another ministry whenever the mashramaini celebrations were about to take place for the purpose of making and tuning steelpans,,,,the embarrasing part is that Guyana is not the inventer of the steelpan, but can maintain the respect for the steelpan,,, to let the youths in the schools be knowledgable of same, with practical experience being gained and i do presume that to date this program is still in effect in the schools of Georgetown,Guyana,T&T has deviated from maintaining the born culture of their native land,,something is difinitely wrong???????
- Bugs > Janice Lawrence-Clarke October 31, 2011 at 2:11pm
  
  Janice this is very sad about TnT. Does anyone know why pan education was removed from the educational system?
  
  bugs
  - Robert Saldenha > Bugs October 31, 2011 at 5:03pm
    
    Was it ever a part of the school cirriculumn. It was extra curriculumn activities.
- Sandra > Janice Lawrence-Clarke October 31, 2011 at 1:27pm
  
  You can tell alot about a government by the way it promotes the culture of the nation. While it is heartwarming to see steelband in a Nigerian school's curriculum, I am sad to learn that it has been removed from ours in T&T.
- philbert alleng > Janice Lawrence-Clarke October 31, 2011 at 12:19pm
  
  This is absolutely beautiful, One must however take note of Ms. Lawrence-Clarke's observation