Steel pan Workshops in York

Victoria Dave Charlotte Hall Park Horsforth 1990s 

It's over a year now since my friend Dave died. and high time that his legacy was properly reactivated in York. The adult band, Steel Expression, that he formed was determined to keep on playing, both for themselves and in Dave's memory. The younger band Rhythm and Steel, is "resting", as they say.

 

 

 

 

One way or another York Music Service found me and I, them, and we ran a series of four workshops which were designed to train up prospective pan teachers,  reactivate former players and interest new ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The willing sacrifices from York Music Service were Christian and Billy. Helen from Steel Expression attended every session. Tom, Chris and Becki for Rhythm and Steel ventured warily back. Dan welcomed Charlotte from London who is also wanting to learn more about  the Foxwood songsheets and what is suitable repertoire for the various abilities.

 

 

 

Week One at York High School, Acomb, and I set up the York pans and the extra ones that I had brought from Leeds and waited both nervously and expectantly for the students. Astonished to find 22 people. We covered colour-coding and two chord, eight-bar songs.

 

 

 

 

 

Week Two. Different people and slightly less. Started with different two-chord song, moved to three chords [still major] and some contrapuntal stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week Three. Different people again. I upped the degree of difficulty so that Tom and Becky could relive Eddie Grant's Give Me Hope Johanna. This wonderful song, still in the Foxwood set was taught to me in the early 1980s by StClair Morris and improved by the additions that Dave suggested in the late nineties. [Dave's great strength was how he added to arrangements]. We added minor chords and there is no doubt that Drunken Sailor is a top tune for all time.

 

 

However, I went back to Leeds and realised that this [Give Me Hope . . ] was a tune too far, and for Week Four . .

 

We returned to the easier songs and considered waltzes and some, and then launched into the Kaiser Chief's Oh My God. Which this class of old hands and of complete beginners learnt from start to end inside 45 minutes. Predictably we ended with a riot. [Dave's partner/now widower came with me this week to see Dave's legacy beginning to bloom.]

 

I shall miss my Monday afternoons, but not the A64.

 

If anyone wants to learn how to play steelpans, join a band or hire a steelband they can contact me/us on foxwoodpanyard@outlook.com

 

Panorama and rehearsals, London Notting Hill Carnival

Now then Debs, it's still silly season for me:

After Monday last year at Notting Hill Carnival, I swore Never again. Then, at Cellofest, Rhiannon said she always wanted to play London. So, why not? Looks good on the old cv [how cynical!], and if it 's only Sunday . . . And I can collect Sophie's 21st present.

[Here's Grafton saying goodbye to Sophie's pan.]

Exhausted, a comfy bed, a clean and tidy room in Rosebery Hall, a recipe for a good night's sleep. Not! Not until I remember the World Service podcasts on the iPod do I manage even half of that! On Saturday I discover the tele room and the kitchen that I missed the night before in the accommodation. Breakfast is ace, and then the 38 takes me all the way to Clapton.

Saturday morning in Clapton, walking along road with Grafton, bump into Cathy, a Cellofest parent and member of successful Under the Sea gang. It's an omen. Take a pic.










Go to Maxella's. Another gang of old friends. Here' s Emina, Raul, Adrianna, Christine, the Dutch and more. Later on , Lionel. Too poorly to play. Just listen.  Over to Portobello Road to buy a couple of bum bags, identify an Kenyan flag for the shopkeeper, by phoning up Amy to see what flag represented Henry at the Albert Hall.

Watch Panorama [again in the rain! What did they do to deserve that two years running?],  Saw the bands in practice on the street, Kensall Road, then perform on the big screen. Bumped into Freddy and into Ann Nimrod [old pal from City of Leeds], who both appeared and evaporated back into the night.

OMG! Ebony was good.

Spent more time looking for Charlotte, Sky, Grafton and Gary than standing with them!

Engage trolley and Sophie's pan, about to get christened at Notting Hill. Rhiannon meets me at Tooting Broadway, drink wine and try to find the bar lines to our three tunes, while her house mates watch tv. Get up early ish and do more of the same.

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows play Breeze on Briggate,

Breeze on Briggate. What it says on the tin.



Rick and I delivered the pans to the backstage nearly-marquee at 9.30 [before half the band were awake, I'll wager!]. Stacked them neatly, and left the gazebo/marquee to be built around them.



Sunny. Crowded. Dancing gran. Found Theo and Jo busking pan and kit just down from the stage. So pans very much alive and well in Leeds.

Met the Sparrows backstage from 2.15 on. In the end we were Naomi, Georgia E, Danielle L, Danii, Peter, Claudia, George, Ciara, Danielle H. Because we were missing some holiday-makers we were joined by Varshika, Amy and Katie. [Katie tried to [point out that she had only come to watch!]. Leaders were myself, Natalie, Bex and Tim. Joining us mostly on percussion: Theo, Jo and Cameron [who, like Katie weren't quite expecting it!]. And not forgetting the Queen of all forms, all cameras, all stuff like that: Vicky.

Backstage crew knew their stuff, stage manager offered us a medal for our efficient settingupness. Well, it's not just about the 30 minutes of rubber on steel!







The "dancing gran" earlier mentioned features on an eponymous youtube clip of herself dancing to us playing Is Heat on Briggate three years ago. See also the Facebook Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows page for video clips and more pics.

Don't Make me go to the Pub again

building Peterboro Station 

On Thursday Lola was six. They all went to sing Happy Birthday. I took the train to Norwich. Changed at Peterborough. Which they are still rebuilding. Accidentally booked first class. There I was with my sandwich box and flask, and there they were with their pots of tea and vegetarian sandwiches. Met Joy at Norwich. We put my sandwiches in her fridge.

the old and the new at the cathedral

There's twelve pubs within walking distance of my house, said Joy. I took this to mean four an evening, and I was starting to psyche myself up for them. We started slowly doing the York and the Rose on Thursday, but on Friday evening, it was please don't make me go to the pub, New Tricks and the Arts Review Show.

On Friday we checked out the Town centre, took the bus to Nina's, Guy took us to the business park wherein Adrian James Acoustics. This involved my leading them up a country track which led nowhere but did involve a certain amount of giggling and hysteria. Anyway we went back and found the place.

Victoria, Victorian postbox, Norwich market

Here I learnt some very interesting stuff, to be put on my Education Camapigner blog. I was in educational heaven. Thankfully Adrian was able to take us back into Norwich in his car.

Rob, Joy, basses

me Rob and sinking mallets

On Saturday we checked out Norwich Town Centre, saw the Everton supporters shortly to be disappointed [Joy and me both born Merseyside], met Rob Slocombe [who, a decade ago bought my very first set of Foxwood Songsheets]. Rob was newly retired and newly back from Trinidad where he had been studying pan-making and tuning. Now he is about to re-start his steelband with Joy signed up to be in it. I was in steelpan heaven. Thankfully Rob took us back into Norwich.

the York

That evening the wall of sound that met us as Joy and I tried Pub 3 was so overpowering and so physical that we left. [Ironic that we had just been talking acoustics with Adrian]. We didn't even go inside Pub 4, but just looked in at the band, and then headed back to the lovely York.

as it says on the tin

On Sunday checked out Joy's grandmotherly status at Noo's. Thankfully Guy was able to take us to Norwich station.

wild baby irises in the wildflower area

The trains back to Leeds were really full, and the one from Ely to Peterborough was a replacement coach. Thankfully Rick was able to meet me from the train, and I sank into the waiting arms of the red sofa and Dancing on Ice [come on Beth [Tweddle]!].

You can't have too many Pictures at an Exhibition

 Well, it's getting like one of those pictures where's characters are hidden and you have to see how many you can find. At first the pans, glocks and stands are packed in the hall, then a week later squirrelled away, here and there, under the basin, behind the shower, around the thingy at the bottom of the bannisters. Actually they all spotted the ring stands and Clippy's lodging a complaint.  Where can a geriatric cat kip these days?

Anyway, despite all this loading I managed to squeeze in a good stint on the allotment, and a second version of Mussorgsky's Pictures.

On the allotment I was as much amused as dismayed by the trimming of the hedges. See these pictures.

When there's a tree in the way, the tractor with choppers just goes round it, and the hedge that can't be reached is is left uncut; any branch thicker than a leaf is torn off.  A few years back they cut the top off one of the concrete posts. I should be grateful . . .


Anyway, it's November here, and daylight is soon over. It's off with the wellies and on with the suede boots. This time it's at the Uni's Grand Hall, and as the programme also included Bolero and Night on a Bare Bald Mountain I felt obliged to set the tele to record "The Killing"  and jump on my bike.

Sadly Bolero did not deliver for me, and I spent most of the 17-19 minutes worrying the the drummer wasn't going to make it.

The other stuff was great, and I cycled home in great contentment. Now I am writing my next two Foxwood Songbooks and here is a picture of how they look propped up in a tray.


Also I am making sticks a lot, so here's two fine examples of my other handiwork.

Manchester Grammar School meets steel pans

Now then Debs,

It is my turn to go to Manchester. Robert and the crew have been over here and checked out  all the Leeds pan schools they need, have ordered a set of pans from Grafton, and will hire a few from us in Leeds while they wait. Which won’t be too long. 

We are also selling them a set of our surplus basses and cellos, relics from the days before the new builds' builders misunderstood the information: “and we have to house a set of steel pans in the new school building.” 

Two sets of basses came from when the college of Music bought a 20 piece set in about 1990, expecting, but not getting great things. Ten years later they were sold to the Music Service. I found a primary school to use one set, but when Melvin and I went to pick up said pans, we found they had been abandoned, and had spent summer outside a portastore cabin in the carpark, and were now full of water and gently rusting on top. They must have been mistaken for old oildrums! How could that have happened?

So over the Pennines again on Tuesday with the gently rusting basses and the rest. And I put Robert, Ruth, Gary, Otto, Jonathon and David through their paces. Forgot to photograph them in action so here's Ruth and Robert posing after they'd all left. 

Steelpans at Bradford Industrial Museum

I tried to tell them last year that it was pointless under 7 years old, and then I gave in. Of the hundred or so that passed through there was only about 7 who were over 7! Luke, their Education Officer booked me again, saying how successful I had been last year. A sucker for flattery or a good quote,  and being one day off a full week's work, of course I agreed to do it again. Luckily for me, and for the children of Bradford, Sophie is training to become a primary school teacher next year. She had confessed to needing things to do; I opined that Bradford Industrial Museum might a useful bit of work experience. So here we are on July 26th 2012, Twelve Bar Blues, Merrily we Roll Along, Largo in F and even in G.

IT started slowly, then it never stopped. We didn't get past a few good chord sequences, but we kept it all to 15 and 20 minute slots, persuaded as many parents and carers as we good to join in. Luke kept us going with cups of tea thick and fast. The poster above my head says: Terrible Times for Children. Honestly it refered to when it was a working mill!