Having played steel pan for 10 years (I was a late-starter!!) and fallen in love with the instrument, it makes me really sad to see that so few schools in my area have steel pan. I really wanted to be able to give children the chance to have a go in the hope that I can inspire a new generation of players in my home town.
I've managed to get together a small set of steel pans and having run a workshop with a nearby scout troop, I placed them in a local secondary school (ages 11-18). The teachers and the children love them and they have already used them in concert as a steel band in their own right but also in combination with the school orchestra (which sounded amazing).
So far in the few months that my project has been going, over 1500 people have had a chance to play who wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity. I hope that in the new school year I'll be able to move on and work with more schools and local community groups. In the meantime, please take a look at my website www.pan-jam.co.uk and like my Facebook page of the same name.
My ultimate aim is to promote the instrument to a whole new audience and spread the love of pan in my community :)
