By Eric Lagatta
The Columbus Dispatch
Franklinton Preparatory Academy on the West Side is one of only a few high schools in central Ohio to offer a steel-drum band.
In the middle of December in Ohio, the Caribbean-infused melodies filling the music room at Franklinton Preparatory Academy seemed misplaced.
But for students enrolled in a steel-drum band class at the West Side charter school, they’re as inviting as a walk on a beach in Trinidad and Tobago.
Crafted from 55-gallon oil drums, the instruments — part of a rich tradition that originated in the dual-island nation near Venezuela — have become a staple at the school since they were introduced three years ago.
On a recent Tuesday at Franklin Prep, Calypso music blended with classic rock, modern hits and Christmas carols reverberated through the hallways. Renditions of “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” were the order of the day as the dozen kids stationed at steel-pan drums and other percussive instruments followed instructor Sam McCoy’s direction.
Replies
Where did this guy got his history from?Saying that Trinidad is one of the poorest country and Trinidad got the oil drums from Venezuela,
Please get your facts before you talk,