Migrant children to learn to play pan

Venezuelan migrant boys and girls in TT will receive steelpan classes, says new Venezuelan ambassador Álvaro Sánchez Cordero.

This plan is part of the education and support programme for Venezuelan children that the embassy will implement.

Sánchez Cordero told Newsday on Monday the pan proposal was made by Venezuelan parents.

“Since I arrived at TT a little over a month ago I have met many Venezuelans. Several of them are parents interested in their children learning a little more about the culture of both Venezuela and TT,” he said.

Sánchez Cordero said last week he met with the mayor of San Fernando, Junia Regrello, and they discussed various issues, including cultural links between the two countries.

“I told mayor Regrello about the idea of ​​steelpan classes for Venezuelan boys and girls and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our children want to learn a bit of Trinidadian traditions.”

Sánchez Cordero said Regrello offered to give a music workshop to the migrant children himself.

“It is a good initiative. Mayor Regrello himself is a musician and that for our community is an act of great value.”

The initial plan is for a small group of boys and girls between five and ten to participate in a pilot course that would be led by Regrello himself.

“We want to take advantage of this initiative from mayor Regrello," said Sánchez Cordero.

This will involve producing a model for a course to help improve and start the process for running the course in various places.

Parents interested in having their children learn to play pan should e-mail their request with the children's names and phone numbers to: embavett@gmail.com.

Those selected, and the time, place and date of the start of classes will be confirmed later.

Sánchez Cordero said the proposal also includes the Venezuelan embassy promoting cuatro classes and other traditional musical instruments from Venezuela to both Venezuelan and local children.