Why do foreign pan students and musicians come to Trinidad to learn and play pan? The Guardian asked US players from the international roster of PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars Steel Orchestra to share their experiences from this year's Panorama. Liam Teague, who is head of Steelpan Studies and Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU), and who has been an unflagging ambassador for pan through his music and teaching, arranged music for Silver Stars this year, and encouraged the students to come. Today we conclude their experiences.
Patrick Altmire, Akron, Ohio
Patrick Altmire prefers playing double seconds, though he can play all pans. He got hooked on pan in college, and currently directs a steelband. He says there is a "decent pan culture" in his area, mainly through music students in college steelbands: "When these students graduate, they start steelbands at primary and secondary schools, with many putting on concerts, so we have a new emerging pan culture."
"I visited Trinidad just last month to compete in Panorama with the PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars. I wanted to experience it all firsthand because I felt it would provide me a perspective that couldn't be matched by any class or book.
"Being my first time coming to Trinidad, I gained insights into the history and culture by getting to talk and interact with local Trinidadians, in addition to experiencing the incredible energy and enthusiasm of performance which is unlike anything musically I've experienced before."
"I got to meet some incredible people. As a visitor, what is special to me about Panorama is the amount of participation through playing, volunteering, and general support by the local community. Many people are not trained musicians, they participate because they enjoy it, something not as common in my area."
Joseph Galvin,
Bloomingdale, Indiana, US
Joseph Galvin was introduced to pan through a percussion teacher at the Jacobs School of Music through Indiana University. That teacher bought pans from Trinidad to build a small community steelband in Bloomington. Joseph played tenor pan with the group and immediately fell in love with it.
Galvin mainly plays tenor pan, but can play others too (seconds, cellos, bass). He says Indiana has a small community of pan players, and that in the US, pan "disseminates well through the education system."
Galvin's first trip to Trinidad was in 2011 when he came down to observe. Joseph returned to Trinidad in 2013 to play with Renegades under Duvone Stewart's direction, and again this year to play with Silver Stars under Liam Teague's direction.
"For pan players in the US, going to Trinidad to witness Panorama is considered something of a pilgrimage. There is a significant amount of pan in the States, but nothing that matches the full effect of Panorama in Trinidad. It was our belief that any serious pan player outside of Trinidad should try and make it to Panorama, if they can, to experience pan in its homeland.
"I believe that participating in Panorama is a great experience as a musician. Certainly, there are some difficulties as a visiting pan player...simply based on differing cultural practices musically–different learning methods, or different rehearsal techniques. But that just makes it a more valuable experience.
"By coming down and immersing oneself as much as possible in the pan culture, a student of pan can grow as a musician and have a deeper understanding of pan and of Trinidad."
Marcus Rattler,
Kansas City, Missouri
Marcus Rattler is studying at Truman State University (TSU) in Kirksville, Missouri. He says Dr Michael Bump at TSU first introduced him to pan: "He took a sabbatical to Trinidad in 2011 and plays with the Invaders. From the trip he brought back pans to begin a steelband at the university."
Rattler prefers tenor pan. He says:
"There is not a pan culture where I live. There is knowledge of the instrument within the university, but most people do not know what a pan is."
Rattler visited Trinidad for the first time in January to play for Panorama. "I arrived in the middle of January and stayed through Carnival. I was invited to play with PCS Nitrogen Silver Stars by their arranger, Liam Teague... I already had a love for the pan and wanted to immerse myself in the culture and learn more.
?"I learned that pan is a family culture and when you are with the Silver Stars pan band, you are treated as such. People have an incredible ear for music on the island because most people don't read music, so they learn entirely by listening and playing the music back. I learned more about my playing technique and how to play the pan accurately, but with less effort, and learning to know a piece so well that you can do it blindfolded and jumping around on stage without thinking about where your hands are going."
"What is unique about T&T pan culture? It is the pan culture. It's the place where pan came from, where they were first built. Everyone in T&T knows what a pan is even if they don't play one, and there's not many places in the world that can say that. The pan gets a lot of respect in Trinidad."
Tom Berich,
Ashland, Oregon, USA
Tom Berich is a professional musician and percussionist with over 25 years of experience. He has been a producer for Nickelodeon, PBS, NPR and more, and is currently a writer, producer and performer for shows and tours for Lonely Street Productions.
Berich participated in the National Panorama finals in 2016: "I personally play double seconds and tenor bass. In Panorama 2016 I played seven bass for Silver Stars," he says.
He first visited Panorama semis in 2011.
He returned to perform with Silver Stars this year to support the music of his long-time friend of 20 years, Liam Teague.
How did Berich start in pan?
"While a student at West Virginia University, I was introduced to a brand new member of our percussion department...one Mr Ellie Mannette."
Berich says in southern Oregon, pan culture is rare: "I have discovered that I am the pan culture here! I have been making it a goal to inform and educate the local university here on pan and have, in fact, begun a pan programme dedicated to teaching the authentic folklore and not the 'Americanised' version of pan that most US citizens perceive."
Berich says visiting Trinidad, "the home and heart" of pan, is a "deeply important experience."
He thinks learning music in the way that Trinis learn was "very good for me, and I think is an excellent experience for all foreign pan players. I am an excellent reader of music. My sense of memorisation, however, is terrible. Being forced to learn music by rote is an excellent experience. Fact, if you don't learn by rote, you can absolutely be cut.
So, it forced me to work that much harder on a skill set that was not my strongest, that seems to come naturally with Trini players. I truly believe that it is impossible to take part in Panorama and not become a better musician."
Berich respects the evolution of pan: "This is traditional folk music on traditional folk instruments that is so new that we can actually see and hear the evolution of this art form as it is happening–sometimes immediately, sometimes over a period of a year or so, but we are right in the middle of/and partaking in the evolution of the instrument and the music. That is extraordinarily unique and is an experience that should be treasured by all pan players."