22 Feb 2008

Pan travels

Today I was astonished to learn that steelpan is taught in my school.

All the way in Birmingham, England the pan is taught as a musical instrument, just like drums, guitars etc. No lie.

But here is a bigger shocker. As I am typing this on my laptop during a school break, I asked my office roommate how long has pan been taught in this school. He replied, "20  years!" He ought to know, he taught in this school for 35 years.

Aside from Sat Maharaj's racist thinking of pan and his perpetual objections, is there any reason why pan cannot be taught in Trinidad schools?

Perhaps some Trinidadian players may like to come for a tour?