Steel Pan Workshop at the Beamsley Project, near Skipton

setting up the pans

I love that moment during workshops where the I Can light bulb switches on. Sadly it inevitably preceded by the I must load this van moment, aka I wonder if Rick will help me load this van moment.

four jams

In short, in order to achieve the I Can moment, you must put in years of thought and testing things out, persuade your local music service to buy lots of steel pans, persuade your friend and pan-tuner to create lots of new single pans [and double basses], convince the general public that you can open up the wonderful world of steel pan to them, and only then are you ready to to fill the van with tons of heavy delicate metal.

Sheelagh holding up colours

at ease

 . . . .and drive to the Dales when Diane, Pat and Tom are giving the Leeds Schools Choir a residential. Filling in the risk assessment forms has cost Diane several working days and quite possibly risked her mental health. I know what this feels like and that is why I have not taken any students away since 2009 [sad really as, at Foxwood School I used to do at least two residentials a year; I even went to Lille with 60 Seacroft kids and several youth workers . .  now that was beyond the call of duty, and totally unsuitable for this blog!].

I digress.

The secret of any good musical event is the in detail. One detail was provided by Pat - the food, commented upon most favourably by children and adults alike. Above is a pic of toast with four different types of Pat's home-made jam.

soprano pannists eyes down

However this a steelpan blog so I will leave the choir activities to it, and say that the workshop was ace; at least one person has since joined the Music Centre Beginners' class; we played mini In the Hall of the Mountain King [arranged by Paula, not the version the Sparrows went on to wow Harrogate with, arranged by myself and Dave Gudgeon years ago] and You Raise Me Up.


After that, they all helped me re-load the van, and I went back to Ilkley and then home.

Pat and Izzy loading in da food

pans stashed away the night before