Junior Panorama 2011

I wish the Junior Panorama was highlighted more and given the attention it deserves. It gives a good indication of the youth involved in pan, skill levels, involvement of schools, and it represents an arena where arrangers have experimented with new ideas. It also gives some gleaning with respect to our future players and arrangers, and our state of pan. At the moment if you search the net, the various websites, one cannot find which schools are playing when, what they are playing, who is arranging, etc. , unless I have missed something. An obvious trend we see is the youth playing in Panorama.

I have also noticed in T&T over the years that there is also very limited coverage in the media for these events. Today the Junior Panorama begins I believe, and I see no info in the news. The big Panorama gets the news of course, but it also displays an attitude towards our youth and our national instrument. The Junior Panorama represents a channel of creativity, practice, hard work, and fun at a time when we are wishing our very youth would use such channels to help our crime situation.

I would like to big up all the schools, the hard working teachers involved, and the players, parents, supporters and arrangers involved. I hope the Junior Panorama would mean more to our pan community at large and I am sorry I cannot see or hear it from afar. Mark

Replies

Jenny Lee March 2, 2011 at 10:34am

Thanks Mark for launching this very interesting discussion. We see pictures now of the winners of the Junior Panorama all over the newspapers. Another interesting note is that very little is being said about the Pan in the Schools project. So much work needs to be done in this country. Those dedicated to the music sometimes feel overburdened by the overwhelming need and utter frustration to even attempt to accomplish something worthwhile. Somehow when we work "outside the box" we seem to be more productive. It is extremely disappointing that the Junior Panorama was not given the attention it deserves. Perhaps this conversation should continue well beyond the realms of the "season" to ensure that more is done for the youths for next year and beyond!
Mark Loquan February 27, 2011 at 9:09am

When I first raised this issue, I was doing so because I truly believed and still do that the Junior Panorama is not getting
The attention it deserves. I had no intention of it being interpreted that WST was not doing its job efficiently. In fact let me say from the start that I believe WST represents a key website to get discussions going in the pan community, and relevant information and updates, and I fully respect the work that is being done and say thank you.

Recognizing this, you would have seen therefore that I started to raise my views more publicly with the hope that we would be in a better position in the future.

My time and energy was used to raise the issue early enough, and to make relevant contacts. With technology today, I am sure there could be a better flow of information for the future.

Given the reaction however I am now gun shy to raise further issues, but I would say once again that I do believe WSt has been doing a great job filling the info gaps, and getting the relevant discussions.
- Pan Times > Mark Loquan February 27, 2011 at 9:22am
  
  Mr. Loquan,
  
  Now is not the time to become "gun shy". The efforts and commitment of the young people to the art form demand that you be even more diligent. In fact we expect you to be more visible and vocal.
  - James Baisden > Pan Times February 27, 2011 at 3:25pm
    
    What about the electronic media in T&T, especially the state-owned media (CNMG etc)? Are they of the view that some live coverage of Junior Panorama is deserved...or is it purely a matter of commerce (lack of advertisers etc). Surely all the 'ole talk' about the importance of youth and their future role becomes "lip-service" if their contributions are not highlighted. Hats off to WST for at least providing an increasingly popular forum for airing 'pan-centric' opinions and kudos to young, persistent arrangers like Arrindel who work tirelessly with our youth.
Mark Loquan February 27, 2011 at 4:03am

Today is supposed to be Junior Panorama Finals. It is sad to see that there isn't any info on line, or in the news on this event even on the day of the event. I am sure the pan community, media, Ministry involved, etc, recognizes the importance of this event to our pan youth and schools. If anyone has info, please let me stand corrected.
- Pan Times > Mark Loquan February 27, 2011 at 7:24am
  
  Mr. Loquan
  
  The better question is, when did the schools send in their information to us? It never happened. Is there any reason why each school does not have a public relations person or student to get that information out? Any child with a cell phone could have texted/emailed the information to WST for their respective school steelband. This year, in a new move, the conventional steel orchestras and some single pan bands got their own information to us real early, before the formal list was sent to us officially be Pan Trinbago
  
  WST recognizes the importance of all educational exercises involving the youth - So much so that we sent a member to Trinidad and Tobago to cover the Junior Panorama 2006. Here are the links to that comprehensive coverage, together with pictures of all participating school steelbands - 2006 Junior Panorama Finals article and the 2006 Junior Panorama Finals in Pictures.
  
  No other media organization has EVER dedicated coverage and shared it with the global pan community - relating specifically to the Junior Panorama - like WST did in 2006. WST subsequently sent in a formal proposal to the Trinidad & Tobago's Ministry of Education, which organizes the Junior national panorama - for WST to return to cover it again 2007. WST never got an acknowledgement, or a response. We also proposed it again in 2008.
  
  Your time energy and efforts would be better spent on you using your contacts to ensure that the schools' information is provided to us ASAP. We can't publish what we don't have or doesn't exist. It would be even more efficent if you could get each school in the habit of being responsible for getting their own information to us. This will ensure a better level of accuracy, relevance and timeliness.
  
  As it is, WST is sure that Ms. Angela Fox, Pan Trinbago's media consultant, is doing the best she can given what she has to work with, in getting existing information out.
  - S L > Pan Times February 27, 2011 at 8:34am
    
    Maybe since everything is now beginning to happen and take place. WST could have asked for information from the school bands and I am sure some persons would have sent theirs in.
    
    When we get new ideas it may be a good idea to publish them and then things would catch on. WST is becoming more and more popular so I guess they could suggest to ALL bands to send their info ASAP.
    - Jenny Lee > S L March 2, 2011 at 10:46am
      
      Am I missing something here!! Should it not be the organsing body's responsibility to have the information passed to the media in a timely manner! WST could end up with all kinds of misleading information. What exactly is being said here? Do they (the organising body) not know who is playing what, when and where? Because obviously if the information is not getting out, then the question to ask is: "is the information available?". If it is, and, it should be, as they've got judges running around , etc. then why is it not being made available? Simple really, all we need are the answers which probably will never come...because that is the way it works! And without some kind of divine intervention, it'll be the same next year, and the year after! Unless.....
    - Pan Times > S L February 27, 2011 at 8:47am
      
      SL
      
      This is simply not the case. Getting information from these organizations is sometimes worst or harder than pulling teeth without an anesthetic.
Mark Loquan February 23, 2011 at 4:32am

Found this. Thanks.

http://www.panonthenet.com/tnt/2011/411/junior-panorama-schools.htm

Hope to see who is arranging what, profiles of the young arrangers, schools (how long pan in schools, music/pan teachers involved, etc), at least for some of the finalists qualifying, if not this year, then for the future.

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