More must be done for young pannists

THE EDITOR: More must be done for the young pannists in TT to ensure the preservation and evolution of the national instrument.

The musical skills and stage performances displayed by the over 1,000 young pannists at the Queen's Park Savannah on February 2 as we celebrated the jubilee year of the Junior Panorama were awesome.

While the handing out of trophies for championship victories for our young pannists is great, much more could be done.

Our country has a rich tradition of steelpan excellence, but many young musicians face challenges of one kind or another, from limited funding to lack of structured mentoring and capacity-building programmes.

Investing in music education programmes, expanding performance opportunities (for trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, etc), and providing financial support for international exposure will help nurture the coming generations of pannists.

By doing so TT will ensure its cultural and artistic legacy will live on deep into the 21st century.

IAN J CLARKE

via e-mail