The Barbados Advocate
Committee member of the Youth Pan Project, Angela Skeete, is pleased with the strides being made by the camp over time.
This year, 63 campers were involved in the three-week steel pan workshop, which was hosted by the Central Bank of Barbados in association with the National Cultural Foundation.
“We are very proud of how they have developed and we look forward to future developments of the children. We noted the fact that some of them have gone on to become musicians and to do the programme at the Barbados Community College,” stated Skeete.
She added that in “the last two years, we decided to focus more on the real development of pan whereas before it was more of a camp and we took a lot of new players. The last two years, we decided to concentrate on players who had some previous experience and try to work on that and develop them some more”.
Last Saturday, the intermediate and senior groups of the Youth Pan Project Ensemble showcased their skills at playing local and international songs on pan during the Youth Pan Extravaganza 2015 held at the Church Village Greens. The theme for this event was ‘Pan Revolution: Charting A New Direction’.
The extravaganza also featured a solo performance by 17-year-old Hashim Durant as well as presentations by the group, Karibvibes. An award of appreciation was presented to pannist, Anderson “Mr. Impact” Ward, during the proceedings in recognition of the invaluable contribution he has made through the years in the area of pan music.
Ward told The Barbados Advocate it felt “amazing” to be honoured. He said, “I won many awards throughout the years, but never one with a steel pan symbol on it. That is really eye-catching. I am really grateful for the honour.” (MG)
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