400 Questions & Answers On Pan

“400 Questions & Answers On Pan” is a rich  resource that connects the threads between the history and accomplishments of the steelpan movement and its people.

Often, many of us wistfully wonder out loud “if only I had the time to” or “if someone only would or could do” this or that - all would be right in the world, or at least it would be a major contribution to wellness of man.  Well, in the genre of the steelpan music instrument Ian Franklin put “ifs” aside, and has accomplished just that with his latest publication “400 Questions & Answers On Pan.”

Simply put, this sixty-two page publication is required reading and consumption.  Moreover it is required ownership and study by all pan educators, historians, players and fans.  “400 Questions & Answers On Pan” documents pan facts and figures exceptionally well - from inception to present, and is an integral part of any course or study on the steelpan movement.  It will quickly alert you to what you think you know to, illustrate what you really know - and educate you.

The publication is separated into four sections covering the ‘pan era’ in the decades of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s.  There are two important additional sections called “Who did it first” and “Did you know.”  The book is very well organized and laid out, with complete answer sections for all the questions.  This is not your traditional answer key.  Franklin does more than just simply provide answers to the questions.  Whenever possible, Franklin gives the reader an insightful backdrop into the conditions that prevailed and events that were going on at the time.

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click to see sample questions

As an added bonus Mr. Franklin gives a personal and in-depth historical look at some of the behind-scenes-the happenings of pan in New York in way that has never been officially documented before.

“400 Questions & Answers On Pan” has the ability to awaken in students, fans and the general public, an appreciation and respect of the storied history of the steelpan through the question and answer process.  In addition it will help them respond intelligently to a variety of questions on the steelpan art form and culture.  And it will encourage them to engage in the debates about the character and purposes of music that has occupied composers and musical thinkers since the dawn of the steelpan movement.

From a student perspective - as the student becomes an adept, knowledgeable scholar, armed with facts, circumstances and history, his or her understanding of the value of this publication will be enriched as well.  The student will immediately become actively involved in the process of critical analysis, in the classroom and outside - in the Who, What, When - that is part of the extraordinary richness of steelpan musical history and life in Trinidad & Tobago and abroad.

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Using the Q & A approach, the compilation highlights the changing attitudes, genres and styles of the music, while simultaneously examining arrangers’ choices and assumptions, as well as those of their patrons and audiences, as it moves chronologically from the 1960’s to the present. The readers will develop critical perceptions and thus be able to articulate responses from readings.