Ontario steelbands are hard at work, practicing for the pan competition that forms part of the annual Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

Pan Alive, an event of the Ontario Steelpan Association (OSA), is scheduled for Friday, July 31, at Lamport Stadium, Toronto.

All OSA members, including defending champions Pan Fantasy and their arch-rivals Afropan, are expected to participate in the competition.

OSA officials are encouraging Ontario residents, and visitors to Toronto as well, to attend Pan Alive, saying “the competition will be keen. It will be an unbelievable night of sweet pan music’’.

Pan: A Medium for Social Good

By Lincoln Depradine

The contribution of the steelpan movement to the social good of society is often diminished and overlooked.

At their genesis and advent, and during their early formative years in their birthplace in Trinidad & Tobago, steelbands were exclusively the domain of men; and, because of the nature of the time, they were men who were overwhelmingly poor and Black, on the fringes of society, and who were assigned labels such as “hooligans’’ and “badjohns’’.

However, over the past few decades, a transformation in steelbands’ membership has occurred; a scan of any steel orchestra anywhere – including among those in Canada that form part of the Ontario Steelpan Association (OSA) – will reveal bands’ membership with a large percentage of boys and girls, as well as adult professional females.

The 2015 Pan Alive competition, organized by OSA, is scheduled for July 31 at Lamport Stadium, 1151 King St. West, Toronto. Certainly, none of the orchestras would be able to enter a sizeable outfit in Pan Alive, without the significant input of women and school-age boys and girls, who are pannists today.

As a medium for engaging youth in positive social and cultural activities, few other organizations attract as many young people – of diverse ethnicities and cultural backgrounds – as do steelbands in Ontario and Canada. Youth bond with one another and find camaraderie with their peers. And the bands’ captains, managers and arrangers provide more than instructions in the art of penmanship to the youth; they often act as guidance counselors and mentors to the young people on issues of education, jobs and careers.

I recall a discussion I had with a young pannist, who was attending high school. I wanted to know what effect – if any – the long hours of rehearsals was having on their academic studies. “Playing pan not only helps me musically, but it also helps me with memorizing, which is good for my studies,’’ the student related. “You also learn discipline. And, when my exam time comes around, I’m already prepared because of the long, and sometimes late hours, that I put in for Pan Alive. I just go into my pan competition mode, which is a plus for me in my studies.’’

An investigation of students who are graduating from high school, and moving on pursue college and university education, will reveal that many are steelband members. It is commendable also that some students are interested in taking up careers in music, with the steelpan as their instrument of choice.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the parents of the young pannists. Many of the parents are an indispensable part of the bands’ functioning and operations, providing invaluable support services such as assisting with fundraising and transporting the children to and from rehearsals, and to various performance venues.

“Without parents, we ain’t have no band,’’ the captain of one steel orchestra said. “They are integral to the band.’’

Pan Alive is OSA’s annual showpiece event for steelbands; the winner receives a trophy and cash, and earns bragging rights as the best-playing band. The 2014 winner, Pan Fantasy, is also OSA’s representative at the International Panorama to be held in August in Trinidad, the Mecca of pan music.

But, lest you think that steelbands are a seasonal business, perish the thought. They operate year-round and individually and collectively – as the Ontario Steelpan Association – are continuously mulling over ideas, and discussing and debating on how to make steel orchestras more economically viable entities to benefit pannists; and on how to broaden the appeal, fan base, and the commercial sponsorship support for the steelband movement.

Part of the steelbands’ vision is summed up by OSA’s Chairman Ken Bhagan.

“My dream is to see steelpan become more mainstream,’’ he says. “The dream is to see shows, such as Pan Alive and Snowflakes on Steel, attract patrons not only from our own Caribbean community but also from the rest of the wider community, so that pan is part of the mainstream culture and not just for the carnival parade or Pan Alive. I would like, for example, to see pan and classics performed in the fall or at Christmas at Roy Thomson Hall.’’

Pan Alive is a major event of the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival. Tickets are $25 each and are available at the Festival Management Committee offices and at various other outlets, as well as online at https://www.ticketgateway.com/index.php/event/view/pan-alive-2015