The Pan Wizards Steel Orchestra, Steel Magic Northwest’s premier ensemble, has just returned home and is celebrating the success of its first tour, and is now inviting registrations for its August intensive camp, set for Aug. 12-16 in Edmonds.
Steel Magic Northwest is a non-profit music education organization that has a goal of teaching more than just music. According to director Gary Gibson, pan drum students learn, teamwork, leadership and other important life skills in a safe, structured environment. The group’s musical style ranges well beyond the Caribbean influence of the instrument, and has earned the organization acclaim from local and regional educators and music lovers.
A 40-year veteran of pan drums, Gibson has built the organization around enriching the lives of youth through the instrument. “There’s a gentle learning curve with the instrument,” Gibson said. “This is a chromatic-hybrid system. Our players have a wide range of musical experience. Our organization focuses on teaching and development of youth in our organization. Building on player’s experience so everyone learns things at their own pace.”
With a strong 25-year history in the Kent School District, the organization expanded to the Edmonds School District, where it has been active for three years. Earlier in the year, the Pan Wizards Steel Orchestra was invited to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Northwest Division Conference in Portland, Ore. Building on the group’s successes, a Northwest tour was organized taking the Pan Wizards to Missoula, Mont. and Ellensburg, Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities in Washington state. “It has been exciting to see — two years ago, we had six kids in the Pan Wizards, now there are 30,” Gibson said.
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I am making a prediction that THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST is going to become one of the LEADING CENTERS of PAN in AMERICA in the next 10 years.
This is being driven by the rapid demographic changes in California -- but that is a long political story that you have to have witnessed to COMPREHEND.
We need the RIGHT LEADERSHIP in PAN TRINBAGO with a broader global vision for PAN. You can't just be so narrow-minded to just try to link in to TRINIDAD-INFLUENCED mini-organizations in AMERICA. Is over 1000 schools across the country. And you cannot have no ERO named DANE GULSTON who lacks the DIPLOMATIC and ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS to reach out to STEELBAND ROOTS around THE WORLD.
Lord, sometimes ah does forget that BEVERLEY RAMSEY-MOORE and PAN TRINBAGO is JUST ABOUT PANORAMA and NOTHING ELSE!!!