Mary Cuffy

Chil­dren from San­gre Grande and near­by ar­eas came to­geth­er at the San­gre Grande Food Hub to cel­e­brate some­thing very spe­cial, the steel­pan, our na­tion­al in­stru­ment. This wasn’t just any gath­er­ing; it was a joy­ful cel­e­bra­tion of mu­sic, tal­ent, and the pow­er of dreams.

The ex­cit­ing com­pe­ti­tion last­ed three days, and on Sep­tem­ber 12, the un­der-16 play­ers had their chance to show­case their amaz­ing tal­ent. At the ‘Pan in the Hub’ com­pe­ti­tion, young mu­si­cians showed every­one how much they love the steel­pan. They played with heart, pas­sion, and skill, in­spir­ing every­one who lis­tened. Each note they played told a sto­ry of ded­i­ca­tion and hope.

The com­pe­ti­tion was fierce, but the spir­it of friend­ship and fun was even stronger. Among the amaz­ing play­ers, Dalia Hayes stood out in the un­der-16 cat­e­go­ry, win­ning first place with her beau­ti­ful mu­sic. Jil­lis­sa Wil­son took sec­ond place, and Ju­dah Bark­er came in third, all shin­ing ex­am­ples of what hard work and love for mu­sic can achieve.

Their suc­cess re­minds us all that no mat­ter how young you are, you can reach for your dreams and make them come true. With prac­tice, pa­tience, and pas­sion, you can cre­ate mu­sic that touch­es hearts and brings peo­ple to­geth­er.

The ‘Pan in the Hub’ was more than a com­pe­ti­tion; it was a cel­e­bra­tion of our cul­ture, our com­mu­ni­ty, and the bright fu­ture of our young mu­si­cians. So, to all the chil­dren read­ing this: keep play­ing, keep dream­ing, and keep shin­ing. Your mu­sic can light up the world!

Mary Cuffy is an ed­u­ca­tor and lo­cal chil­dren’s au­thor. Ms Cuffy is the au­thor of the

La­dy­bug book se­ries. Ms Cuffy be­lieves the best in­vest­ment we can make in chil­dren is in the ear­ly years.

Email:7mary.cuffy@ya­hoo.com7• IG: marycuffy • FB: mary cuffy/Lo­la and the Danc­ing La­dy­bug