Five Traits Of Solid Steel Pan Players

Did you watch some of the Panorama performances recently? You can't but wonder what separates solid pan players from the rest. They all have something in common. You see it in those performances, various You Tube videos and when we think about it in our own personal playing. Here is what we see:

1) Attitude - one of the most important. Positive attitude is something you can see in a pan player's face. Even during those long, sometime difficult rehearsals and practice sessions, you can't help but see and feel a positive attitude about the instrument they play. It is a attitude of self confidence, especially when it is time to perform.

2) Determination - perhaps this comes from steel pan and its history. It means playing in spite of all the obstacles and hurdles. Many of us play steel pan as a hobby. Few of us do it as a profession. We have plenty of other "happenings" in our life to keep us busy. But we carve out time to play steel pan. We want to be good at it. And we are determined to get there.

3) Relentless - This is one of the most admirable traits. We are relentless in the sense that we will go to any lengths to learn from others. We will seek out others doing what we want to do. We watch videos. We listen to old recordings. We rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. Our relentlessness drives us to be better each time we pick up out sticks.

4) Learner - Steel pan is in a constant state of evolution. When you listen to pan players some 20 to 30 years ago, you hear a different style. With each year and decade, new players come along layering what they learn on top of new directions they want to take the instrument. You'll are gradually seeing that in some of the pan competitions and performances around the world. We are all learners.

5) Happy - This is different than attitude. When I perform or I watch others perform, they all seem to be enjoying what they are doing. As a matter of fact, that is one of the comments we hear most from audiences. We all look so happy. I have yet to see a performing pan player who doesn't seem to be enjoying doing what he is doing.

Do you have others traits we haven't mentioned? Let us know at info@steelpancollective.org.

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We're Back and Ready to Play!

As many of you, we took the month of January off. We didn't do a lot of social media stuff. So it may have seemed like the lights at Steel Pan Collective had gone dark. But that was not the case.

We have been working behind the scenes with the goal of making 2015 a great year for the SPC. Members of the board and our volunteers are busily working on the 2015 Pan People Music Festival in Denver. Since this is our first event in the city, we are certainly learning the ropes of working with the various agencies and locations. Honestly, it hasn't been easy.

The city had decided to put a halt to any new festivals in 2015. The reason being that Denver is VERY festival friends and we have close to 300 festivals between May and September. That puts enormous pressure on some of the city's resources. They, the city of Denver, is taking the year off to get a better handle on the festival load.

So, with the city saying no - not this year. We began searching for another location and had to get creative for our festival. Right now, we hope to finalize the location soon. We are very excited about it. So cross your fingers.

The format for the festival is a one day fun filled event featuring public performances of steel pan groups, exhibitors, a networking reception for participants and the public, and a screening of the film Pan! Our Music Odyssey. Dr. Kim Johnson will be on hand to talk about the film. (We've seen the film and think attendees will REALLY enjoy it). So stay tuned.

By the way, did anyone learn any good steel pan songs over the past few weeks?

Drudgery, Craft, and Calling

It has been awhile since I blogged. Holidays and settling back into the daily grind have taken a priority. Now I have the time to collect my thoughts as I turn my attention to this upcoming year for the Steel Pan Collective.

I am very excited about the future prospects of the organization. It is a solid organization with a great board and good leadership. As for the Pan People Music Festival, I think we'll easily pull that off this year unless no one decides to come. I doubt that will happen though.

One thing I learned during the holidays is how each of us gets motivated. I was reading a book called the Highly Sensitive Person at Work. It describes several different types of jobs - Drudgery, Craft, and Calling. Drudgery are those jobs we have to do. Those are the ones where our heart and our head are not into it. We've all done those - some of us are working those now. Craft jobs are those jobs are those where either our heart OR our head is into it. It is never both. It is one or the other. Calling is that job where both our heart AND head are very much into what we are doing.

As I think about our organization and the volunteers who make up the organization. We are definitely working our calling. And for those of us who play steel pan - it is very much a calling for us. We approach the work with both our heart and head.

So as 2015 gets underway, having that Calling feeling will certainly continue to drive us forward.

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Being Thankful Every Day!

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost here. For many of us school is finishing up, businesses are winding down, malls are busier, and still everyone seems to be in great mood. We have so much to be thankful for as steel pan players. We have so many things going for us. Not only do we have the talent and perseverance to play steel pans, but we are flexible and adaptable in our very nature.

The thing I am most thankful for this season are those family and friends who actively support my playing. I know this is true for many of us. Family and friends are our rock. They are the foundation that supports us in bringing steel pan to the masses. It gives us the chance to follow our passion. So when you sit down this holiday, take a moment to thank those who support you. I know I will.

A special thank you goes out to our Steel Pan Collective members and supporters. We are so grateful for your support. Thank you.

Have a great holiday.

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Steel Pan Collective
Learn. Connect. Perform. 

College and Pan

Members of Bates Steel Pan Orchestra (Bates College) 

Got a great email from a parent interested in finding steel pan for her kid after high school. Her kid wanted to continue playing, but didn't want to necessarily major in steel pan. I got to thinking about it and I thought our community needs to do a better job at promoting pan programs for those entering college.

I sent her a list of the schools in the states the kid was looking at. Hopefully that helps. She seems awfully nice. (Hopefully, we add another student to the membership group).

But, I thought I really should do more than that. It seems like a simple problem with maybe a simple solution. We offer access to the Haskett Directory of U.S. Steel Drum Bands based in schools and universities to our members. This list is geared more to school directors. But what about the kids planning to go to college? No need to stop playing once you graduate from school, right?

Hmm? We will have to noodle on that one for a bit. I think the Steel Pan Collective can come up with something. There are too many great programs out there to not come up with a solution.

Stay tuned.

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Learning Every Day

Phew! The one thing you can say about us here at the Steel Pan Collective is we are constantly learning something every day. Couple that with working in any kind of steel pan practice can result in our waking hours just flying by.

This week, we learned all kinds of new stuff about the business world and ourselves.  We learned about contracts and getting commitments and why they are important up front. We learned about musicians differences and similarities when it comes to how they got involved in pan. We learned that not all of us in the pan community actually play the instrument. We learned that online fundraising takes some planning. We finally learned that music festivals have to have a purpose. Otherwise, why would bands come and also the public?

Still, we continue to move along. We plan plan plan the Pan People Music Festival. We work hard to make sure our board stays on track and keeps the organization humming along. We realize that the phone vs. email might work best. (Isn't it funny, that we fall back to the phone to get stuff done)

Today I wrote an article  that will appear in next month's Profiles in Pan. Members will hear the story of Rick Henson and how he became involved in pan and how he is building a steel band community in Colorado. It is a very inspiring story.

So I guess this week, we as pan players take that talent for persistence, perseverance, and determination and apply it to not only steel pan but running a non-profit organization. We take are inspiration from the kid in the picture.

Cheers.

Skip Waugh
Steel Pan Collective
Learn. Connect. Perform

Passion and Pan - Making stuff happen

One of the great things about steel pan is the community that has grown up around it and supports it. Each day, we meet new folks who are interested in connecting with us here at the SPC. The common interest is their love of pan. The passion also comes through when we do the Profiles in Pan for the member newsletter. It came through loud and clear in the interviews with Tom, George, Ruth, Char, Ansel, Jim, Mia, and George. Some found their passion for pan when they were very young. Others found it later on in life. It is really exciting to talk to them and share their story.

I can't think of another "instrument" that fires up the passions in so many people. Is it the same for the violin, the drums, the guitar, the clarinet. Doubt it. This is a community instrument and one with a lot of people who love it.

We are in the midst of planning the 2015 Pan People Music Festival right now. On some days, it seems like two steps forward and one step back in getting stuff done. Still, it is the passion that drives us on.

Today, we secured the film we wanted to show on the Friday before the music performances. It is Pan! Our Music Odyssey. We'll get to see that passion for pan on the big screen. We wanted to have the film for the Pan People "Film" Festival. The filmmakers were passionate about getting it shown in the U.S. We are so excited that they picked our venue.

Have a great week and live the passion.

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