Pan in schools, window to the world

Music education can take a student many places. Ask ten-year-old Kerbasi Daniel, captain of the St Margaret’s Boys’ Anglican School – 11-time Junior Panorama winners and reigning primary school champions.

After his success at the schools competition, he travelled with his team to Orlando to visit Universal Studios, to Disneyland in Los Angeles, and New York to visit Carnegie Hall.

Daniel has been playing pan for six years. He started in first year and performed for the first time at Panorama in second year. “Being captain is very special to me. It gives me the kind of vibe that I could be myself and do whatever I want, and go on the stage and dance,” he told Sunday Newsday on Friday.

His school band performed at the launch of the National Schools Panorama, Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

Auburn Wiltshire, project co-ordinator of the Multicultural Music Programme Unit (MMPU), said music programmes are important to students’ holistic development. Like Daniel, he thinks many students can have broad experiences through music programmes.

“It is my hope that this competition will not only give our youngest citizens a platform to shine, but give them encouragement to continue their musical journey,” he said.

MMPU currently operates in 132 schools, Wiltshire said the ministry approved his contract as well as eight district music co-ordinators and 50 music instructors for three years.

“We have a variety of musicians working with us today from string players to brass instrumentalists, from classically trained musicians to musicians who are skilled in improvisations and a strong contingent of pannists,” he said.

The MMPU recently held an adjudicators’ workshop to ensure a high quality of judging at the Junior Panorama.

Through the MMPU, Wiltshire hopes to implement programmes such as a schools pan music festival and a roving music caravan in each district.

“When I was a schoolboy I really struggled with academic subjects. It wasn’t until the intervention of music educators that I was able to succeed in life. Therefore, I know personally the benefits of a good music education programme,” he said.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia said schools which actively participate in pan, or the MMPU, experience less disciplinary problems and vowed to improve the pan programme.

“We have extended this pan-in-school project to a number of schools and before my tenure as Education Minister comes to an end, I want to give the assurance that all 455 primary schools and 125 secondary schools would have at least one pan ensemble in the schools,” he said.

The Junior Panorama includes the schools segment – primary and secondary – and non-school bands. The preliminary round runs from February 11-15, when judges visit the schools, and the final takes place on February 24.