Steel Pan Band practice and Carnival costumes

Thursday 27 july

Steel pans band practice and carnival costumes

Shademan has organised a visit to a steel band’s school practice evening. A van full of kids living on boats are coming too. The van is crammed, we even have a baby in arms. The band is in the competition for the carnival and they are actually practising every evening until the big event. The place is packed with kids of all ages, some of them can hardly reach the pans but all of them are doing it with gusto. It does sound like a cacophony while some small groups are practising different sections, all at the same time. The chef d’orchestre is running around from one group to the next, giving advice and correcting individual players.  It all comes together at the end with over 30 kids finally playing the same tune at the same time. Some chairs were brought out and we were treated to a proper concert, with well known tunes, all compelling you to dance.  It was just brilliant to watch and listen too. Ian earned his chicken tonight (as per usual, there is a stall selling BBQ chicken on the compound). He has been lugging the steel pans around for the smaller kids at the end of the show. We get a chance to bang the pans too, with direction from the band master who gives us a bit of the history and music lesson on how the pans work. The steel pans were first used on the fifties, when oil was found in the Caribbean’s, and oil drums were just lying around. The band structure is interesting. They referred to the violins, guitar and flute sections for example. And they are quite fragile, needing frequent tuning (at $2,000 EC a pop! The tuning man comes especially from Trinidad). It was very good. The music really makes you jump to your feet!

The compound is also used to house the workshop making costumes for the carnival. The steel band has its own carnival troupe linked to the school, sponsored by Flow. They are an award winning group too in the carnival competition, both on the musical and costumes side and they have been going over 50 years. In a small building, with a succession of tiny rooms, five ladies are busy cutting, gluing, and stitching, feathers and rhinestones on costumes. The place is stacked to the rafters with piles of colourful stuff. They need to have over 500 costumes ready in 2 weeks’ time and they are working late into the night. It is just brilliant. The walls are lined with masks and costumes from years gone by.  My favourite costume is the steel pan, we only saw pictures of the finished costumes, but they all do look impressive! Loads of work involved. I don’t think it will be the same thing as the Martinique’s carnival. It looks far more like the Rio’s carnival, skimpy outfits, feathers and baubles rather than the more traditional feel. I am sure  it will be interesting. Can’t wait for carnival.  As long as we have feathers, I’ll be happy.