Scouts to start steel pan program

Great initiative.

Trinidad (particularly San Fernando) had a thriving scouts’ steelband programme in the mid-1950s. They grew so confident that the Trinidad scouts association sent their “Happy Wanderers Steelband” to the World Scouts Jamboree in England for 12 days in 1957. On 1^st August 1957, they played to an audience of some 33,000 participants which included Prince Phillip and the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Following the part of the King’s Singers, they created a sensation at the jamboree with their then popular piece ‘Valderi-Valdera’ – which is still retained by London’s ‘St Michael & All Angels Steel Orchestra’ as part of their repertoire. It is very likely that the confidence that began to grow in Trinidad following TASPO’s hugely successful visit to Britain six years earlier to perform at the Festival of Britain in 1951 may have given birth to a new ambition for Trinidadians to take their steelpans to distant shores. Windrush Generation migrants (such as this author) frequently travelled on various boats with their steelpans. See paper “Cyril Khamai’s Commentary on the Early History of Steelpan in One Corner of Trinidad (San Fernando)” by Laila M.N. Shah. International Journal of Carnival Arts Vol. 2. December 2020, pp 43. See link: https://www.steelpanconference.com/

Haroun Shah, Nostalgia Steelband

Replies

Haroun Shah August 5, 2022 at 1:20pm

Great initiative.

Trinidad (particularly San Fernando) had a thriving scouts’ steelband programme in the mid-1950s. They grew so confident that the Trinidad scouts association sent their “Happy Wanderers Steelband” to the World Scouts Jamboree in England for 12 days in 1957. On 1^st August 1957, they played to an audience of some 33,000 participants which included Prince Phillip and the then Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. Following the part of the King’s Singers, they created a sensation at the jamboree with their then popular piece ‘Valderi-Valdera’ – which is still retained by London’s ‘St Michael & All Angels Steel Orchestra’ as part of their repertoire. It is very likely that the confidence that began to grow in Trinidad following TASPO’s hugely successful visit to Britain six years earlier to perform at the Festival of Britain in 1951 may have given birth to a new ambition for Trinidadians to take their steelpans to distant shores. Windrush Generation migrants (such as this author) frequently travelled on various boats with their steelpans. See paper “Cyril Khamai’s Commentary on the Early History of Steelpan in One Corner of Trinidad (San Fernando)” by Laila M.N. Shah. International Journal of Carnival Arts Vol. 2. December 2020, pp 43. See link: https://www.steelpanconference.com/

Haroun Shah, Nostalgia Steelband
George Rampersad August 5, 2022 at 12:58pm

So Taiwan is helping Belize with pans? What about T&T? Are the pans produced in T&T?

Where is Pan Trinbago on this? Where is the Ministry of Culture on this? Or maybe our culture will benefit more by Machel Montano promoting Sadhguru? Just asking for a friend...

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