Arranger Michael Toby takes a handful of players through a practise session of Niala Blackman’s Iron Love at the Redemption Sound Setters Steel Orchestra pan threatre in Montgomery, Bethel, last Saturday. Photos by David Reid
With the preliminary round of Panorama set for January 22 (Single Pan), one week from today, managers of steel bands were on Saturday hoping that pannists would come out to practice for the competition.
Members of the Executive of Pan Trinbago’s Tobago Region met last Thursday to discuss the implications of the announcement by Pan Trinbago’s President Beverley Ramsey Moore that the organisation could not afford to pay pannists a stipend this year with the Government allocation being reduced from $30 million to $20 million this year
Payment of $1,000 stipends for 2018 are still outstanding.
Salisha James, Chairman of Pan Trinbago -Tobago declined to give details of last Thursday meeting.
Replies
This is something that was said in the past. lots of these bands are not full time bands they are just around for panorama to collect a money and after panorama thats it they no longer exists. If the where to have it set where active band through out the year can only take part in panorama am sure you will see a drop in the amount of bands entering. Also really crack down on players playing for multiple bands. I does watch videos and see players playing with 3 and 4 bands in large small etc. so now who is really to blame for the players not getting paid not the players for trying to get by on the system
To many bands, I am not sure how they initially cropped up. It's mind boggling how you can have you have a band, so much cost for instruments, and cannot manage it, and it's almost all steel-bands. Total madness. How many days in a year? What do these bands accomplish year round?
Narrative shift. (1) How many days in a year? (2) What do these bands accomplish year round?
Players money? We got that.