Steelpan Arranger
Shenelle Abraham - Steelpan Arranger

Shenelle Abraham

Shenelle Abraham - St. Margaret’s Super Stars, Skiffle Bunch
Panorama Championships
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Primary School Achievements
  • 1) Academic
    -  Grade A Student of Melville Memorial Girls Anglican School
    -  1st place in class from 2nd year to Standard 5
    -  Won essay and poetry competitions
    Class’ Valedictorian
  • 2) Calypso
    Finalist in many calypso competitions e.g. NJAC & TUCO etc.
    -  Wrote own calypso at age 7 and placed 7th in the NJAC Pioneers Competition
  • 3) Cricket
    -  Member of school’s cricket team

Secondary School Achievements

  • 1) Cricket Team
    -  1999-2003 : - Member of the Holy Convent Cricket Team.
    - 2000-2003 : - Captain of the Holy Name Convent Cricket Team.
    - 2002 : - Led her Under 20 team to achieve 3rd place in the Secondary
    School Cricket League

    Achievements
    -  Secondary Schools Cricket League: -
     2002 - North Zone Cricketer Of The Year
    -  Holy Name Convent : -
     2001-2002 - Most Outstanding Cricketer
     2000-2001 - Cricketer With The Best
    Team Spirit
     
  • 2) Swim Team
    -  Member of Flying Fish Swim Club
    -  Represented Flying Fish Swim Club :-
     1999-2000: - Member of the Holy Name Convent Swimming Team
     
  • 3) Academic Achievements
    Grade A Student of Holy Name Convent
    Represented Holy Name Convent in: -
     Mathematics Olympiad : - 1) 2001
    2) 2003 –Semifinalist
     
  • 4) Most Outstanding Student at Holy Name Convent (2003-2004)

Florida Memorial University Achievements

  1. MTV Video Music Awards
    2005 : - Chosen as one of the five panists to play at 2005 MTV Video Music Awards with Ludacris - first time the National Instrument was played at the MTV
    Awards.
     
  2. Steelpan
    2006 : - Played at the Launching of the Miami Carnival Center
    2005-2007 : - Member of Florida Memorial Steelband
    2007-2008 : - Member of Florida Memorial Jazz Ensemble
    2007-2008 : - Toured with Florida Memorial Chorale Ensemble
     
  3. Academic Achievements at FLMU (Florida Memorial University)
    2006 : - Represented Florida Memorial University at NAACP
    (National Association for the Advancement of Colored
    People) Conference. Presented a paper of the Effects of
    Music on the Brain
    2005-2009 : - Member of Florida Memorial University Honors Program
    2007-2009 : - Member of Alpha Chi Honors Society
    2007 : - Member of The National Honors Jazz Association
    2008 : - Member of National Deans List
    2009 : - Graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Music
    2009 : - Graduated with Summa Cum Laude
    2009 : - Fall 2009 was class valedictorian (Graduated with the
    highest G.P.A. in graduating class)
     
  4. Other FLMU activity
    2008-2009 : - Secretary of TATSA (Trinidad and Tobago Student
    Association)
    2005-2010 : - Student Assistant in FLMU Institutional Research
    2005-2010 : - Tutor at Florida Memorial University

Other University Activity

2009-2010 : - Tutor for Bachelor’s Students at University of Miami

Steelbands played for

  1. Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra – 2000-2004  -  (2003: - winner of National Panorama)
  2. Exodus Steel Orchestra – 2002 & 2004
     -  (2002: - winner of World Steelband Festival);  (2004: - winner of World Steelband Festival)
  3. Gonzales Sheikers – 2001-2004
  4. Exocubs Youth Steel Orchestra – Dec 2000-2004
  5. Trinity Foundation – July 1999-Dec 2000

National Achievements & Works

Played for the Mayor of London at City Hall

2000
National Music Festival - 2nd place – Solo
San Fernando Junior Arts Festival - 1st place – Instrumental Solo

2001
San Fernando Junior Arts Festival - 1st place – Instrumental Solo
Nation Junior Steelpan Festival -  Finalist – Solo; 1st place – Duet; 1st place - Quartet

2002
World Steelpan Festival - 7th place – Solo; 2nd place – Duet; 4th place – Quartet
National Music Festival -  3rd place - Solo
Captain of Exocubs Youth Steel Orchestra

2003
Nation Junior Steelpan Festival - 2nd place – Solo; 1st place – Duet; 1st place - Quartet; 1st place – Ensemble

Caribbean Junior Festival
1st place – Duet; 1st place – Quartet

2004
World Steelpan Festival - 4th place – Solo; 2nd place – Duet; 4th place – Quartet; 1st place – Ensemble

2008
National Junior Panorama - 1st place – Under 13 (St. Margaret’s Boys’ Anglican School Steel Orchestra)

2009
National Junior Panorama - 2nd place – Under 16 (St. Margaret’s Steel Orchestra)

2010
National Junior Panorama - 3rd place – Under 21 (St. Margaret’s All Stars Steel Orchestra)

2011
National Panorama - 1st place – Small Band Preliminaries (St. Margaret’s Super Stars); 7th place – Small Band Finals (St. Margaret’s All Stars Steel Orchestra)

The Queen’s Royal College Jazz Festival 2011 and Trinidad and Tobago’s - 1. Arranged for Skiffle Bunch Steel Orchestra for QRC Jazz Festival

2012
National Panorama -
 1
- Arranged for Skiffle Bunch Steel Orchestra for National Panorama;
 2 - Arranged for St. Margaret’s Super Stars for National Panorama

2013
National Panorama
 1 - Arranged for St. Margaret’s Super Stars for National Panorama and Music Festival

2014
National Panorama
1 - Arranging for St. Margaret’s Super Stars for National Panorama

Personal Achievement

2011
  1 -  Received an award from National Youth Action Committee in Trinidad as one of the Top Twenty Stars of Tomorrow for Music Arranging

  2 -  Worked with and wrote an arrangement for Francis Prime (a noted jazz saxophonist)

  3 -  Was interviewed from Hollis Clifton as one of the top influential musicians in steelpan music (interview can be provided upon request)

2012
  1 -  Featured in an International travel magazine “Sand, Sun and Sea” as a spotlight personality

2013
  1 -  Featured in Pan Trinbago’s 50 anniversary’s International magazine as a spotlight personality
  2 -  Worked with a French International Steel Orchestra, Karukera Steelband (Guadeloupe)

Works and Achievements with St. Margaret’s Steel Orchestra

  • Music Theory and Practical Tutor : - 2002-Present
  • Arranged songs for St. Margaret’s Steel Orchestra for the following : -
    1. Junior Panorama 2008 - Champions 2008 (Under 13)
    2. First CD was launched on 5th July 2008
    3. Assisted in Coordinating and arranged for St. Margaret’s Boys’ Steel Orchestra’s 2nd - Youth Pan Extravaganza featuring five (5) top Junior Steel Orchestras – 2008-
      present
    4. Junior Panorama 2009 - 2nd Place (Under 16)
    5. Function hosted when The Queen Elizabeth II visited Trinidad in November 2009
    6. Coordinated for the orchestra to go to Miami to participate in Florida Memorial University Youth Pan Fest in 2009, 2010, 2013
    7. 3rd Place Junior Panorama 2010 (Under 21)
    8. 2nd place in National Junior Music Festival 2010 – U 21 Orchestra
    9. Assisted in Creating and arranged for St. Margaret’s Super Stars to participate in National Senior Panorama 2011 Small Band category – 1st Place Prelims & 7th place Finals
    10. Training and accompanying the steel orchestra for a tour in Guadeloupe for The Guadeloupe Festival with the biggest named musicians in Trinidad and Tobago
    11. Doing Adaptation of classical works for steel orchestra and steelpan solos for Music Festival 2012 & 2013
    12. Training steelpan soloists for Music Festival 2012
    13. Doing musical arrangement for National Panorama Conventional Small Band – 2011-present

 
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