“We want them to see that they can also use music as a trade and as a job. We have evidence that people who left the classes in previous years went on to become professional musicians, landing jobs on cruise ships and in other international events. We see them being able to fit into musical jobs both nationally and internationally,” Joseph said.
Four year old Ascala Daniels plays a the tenor pan at the Steel Foundation’s eight annual Summer Pan Camp at the Pan Palais along the Southern Main Road, Marabella yesterday.
Southern Marine’s president, veteran pan man Michael “Scobie” Joseph lamented that funding for the camp has hindered its expansion.
“We see this as developing the youths and keeping them out of trouble. We have been running these classes for more than seven years. We’ve been doing a number of things in the community to keep the youths occupied over the years, but we’ve not had any sponsorship. In the earlies, we used to get some help from Petrotrin but you realise that Petrotrin is no more.
“When the great Joan Yuille-Williams was the Minister of Culture, she used to assist the pan classes. Since she has left, steelband and pan classes began to suffer and we are suffering now,” Scobie said.
He said the funding will help to extend the period of the camp and increase the capacity of the class, which will provide a greater service to the community. He added that classes like this ensure that the pan tradition survives.
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