Twenty-four graduate from North Leeward steel pan programme

Twenty-four students, 12 from the Troumaca Government School and the same number from the Troumaca Ontario Secondary School, have received basic training in the art of playing the steel pan.

A five-week training programme, financed by the UK Friends of the Mustique Charitable Trust and executed by the Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra (SHESO) made this possible.

Septimus Caine of SHESO and Stefan Taylor, music teacher assigned to the secondary schools, took the cohort through their paces, as they acquired the new musical skill.

A graduation ceremony took place on Sunday, August 27 on the compound of the Troumaca Government School at which there were speeches as well as renditions by the graduates.

Addressing the ceremony, Chair of the SHESO Warren Knights thanked the young pannists, their parents and guardians for bringing the programme to fruition.

“To our 24 graduates, the heart and soul of this event, I commend you for your dedication and determination… You embarked on a journey of musical discovery, and through five weeks of intensive training, you have emerged as skilled pannists…Your resilience in the face of challenges, your passion for music, and your commitment to this program are truly commendable”, Knights remarked.

He continued, “A special thank you goes to the parents and guardians who recognized the importance of this opportunity and supported their children on this journey of musical exploration…The seeds of culture and creativity you have nurtured in them will undoubtedly bear fruit for years to come”.

SHESO’s partner in the project, the UK Friends of the Mustique Charitable Trust, represented by Administrative Director – Dularie Malcolm, endorsed Knights’ sentiments.

“We have to be grateful for the tenacity of the children who came here each day… We have to be grateful for the tenacity of the parents who sent their children each day… It shows the love, the care, the dreams that you have for your children, that you are aware that our Vincentian children have a multitude of talent,” Malcolm commented.

Likewise, Gasley Cottle, who stood in for Parliamentary Representative for North Leeward Carlos James, commended all who made the training programme, saw it through to the end, and welcomed the students to the steel pan fold.

To crown off Sunday’s proceedings, the young pannists exhibited their skills, rendering: “Can’t Help Falling in Love”, “What is Love” and “I Know who I am”.