PS 149 Danny
Kaye School
on the Steelband Trail
Next Generation of Pan Players travel to MIT with
Pantonic
Massachusetts - Eight
lucky students from Brooklyn's PS 149 Danny Kaye
school recently indulged in an extra-curricular
activity that was right up their alley. The
youngsters joined the stage side of championship
steel orchestra Pantonic on their trip to Cambridge,
Massachusetts for the group's third performance
during MIT's (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
2007 Campus Preview Weekend.
|
PS 149 Danny
Kaye School and Pantonic at MIT |
The genesis of the school's steelband program came
back in the late nineties when they were one of five
fortunate educational institutions
chosen to participate in a New
York Board of Education initiative called 'Project
Arts.' They received a 'starter' steelband set
consisting of two tenors, one guitar, and one
six-bass. In their second year, the band
'doubled' in capacity when they acquired two more
tenors, one tenor bass, an additional guitar and one
double tenor. Today the school boasts eighteen
boys and girls who make up its steelband program,
but with instruments for twelve players at any one time.
|
Ms. Marcia
Eversley captures memento of trip to MIT and
Pantonic's performance, with Ryan Goulbourne
standing beside her. |
Accompanying the young players on the trip to
Cambridge was PS 149's Arts Coordinator Ms. Marcia Eversley, who had been very pleased when the school
was included in Project Arts. The educator is
extremely proud of the students' accomplishments,
and spoke
about the synergy between their learning to master the steelpan, and their
academic performance. She emphasized the discipline,
development and responsibility which were key in the
children's steel orchestra instruction, and which were in turn
put into practice in their academic lives.
Given the challenge to afford and procure additional
instruments to bolster the band, Ms. Eversley fondly
recalled the unforeseen opportunity that
presented itself to add one to the
school's meager complement.
On a trip to Barbados in the
Caribbean, the Arts Coordinator was visiting with a
friend who just happened to have a double second 'lying around
the house,' essentially unused. She was thrilled when told she could
bring it back for
use at the school.
The trip
to MIT with
Pantonic's stage side was a
special time to connect with experienced musicians who had honed their craft over
the years, many who had begun as steelband players -
young, or younger than, some of the students. During
Pantonic's performance, the PS 149 students stayed
close to the area, soaking up and reveling in the
music, in much the same way as the students and
adults stopping in front of MIT's Student Activities
Center where the event was unfolding. Alternately sitting in front, and dancing
on the sidelines, the youngsters lapped up the
ninety-minute total show served up by Pantonic,
registering their delight especially when they heard
R&B artist Beyonce's hit song "Irreplaceable."
{
click to see video performance
on YouTube
}
During the return trip they excitedly
went over their experiences, and shared some
thoughts on the day with
When Steel Talks. Shaela Reyes, 10, and Ryan
Goulbourne, 12 are both in fifth grade. Shaela, a
tenor player has been playing for two years, while
Ryan, who is mastering both the six and tenor bass,
is in his third year. Both liked Pantonic's
repertoire and the number of songs they recognized,
especially the more popular ones such as
"Irreplaceable" and John Legend's "Ordinary People,"
and were amazed by the 'tempo' the stage side played at. At
their school, they have been playing at moderate
pace on their journey to mastering their
instruments.
Shaela's nine-year old cousin Isis
Gaddy, who has two years under her belt on the tenor,
says that she was "inspired to play even better"
after hearing Pantonic's stage side. Double tenor player Shemani
Patton, also nine, was 'amazed' that Pantonic was
playing, 'without always looking at the pans.'
Her
fellow double-tenor
pannist and fourth grader
Patrice Mitchell (pictured left)
appreciated how Pantonic "really got
into the music." Rieanna Duncan
(pictured below right) who will be eight next month
and prefers the guitar pan, loved how 'tight' the
band sounded, while Kristina Thomas who opts for
the double second and is in third grade, declared
that she, too, liked the tempo of the songs, and was
happy
when she realized she knew most of the music
performed. Finally she declared that "today was the best day of the week!" Friday was
still a regular school day for the students, and
while these were learning via their experiences and
observations of a
veteran steel orchestra stage side in action, their school mates were at school. Diminutive but aspiring drummer eight-year old Kyonne Springer rounded out the crew, and even took
a brief turn at the drums during Pantonic's break.
For the
young members of PS 149's steelband it was an
inspiring and wonder-filled day. The group practices
for two hours once per week, and performs at their
school twice during the year. In May, their
parents and the school are treated to the fruits of
their hard work, and they are also in the spotlight
again in June. Last February, there was
another first for the budding steelband musicians -
they 'played out' for the first time at a tea party
and reveled in the attention that was showered on
them after the event.
More On Pantonic at MIT
Contact Pantonic at: 1-718-434-0231
web: www.Pantonic.com
| email:
pantonic1@aol.com
|