Celebrating Caribbean Culture

As part of our Black History Month all the pupils from Reception to Year 6 have enjoyed a Steel Pan performance. In 1964 Russel Henderson led a steel pan band onto the streets of London, bringing the traditional sounds of the Caribbean to the crowds who had gathered. This event is seen by many as one of the key milestones in the creation of the Notting Hill Carnival, where every year in August steel pan bands now play and compete to share the joyful sound of Caribbean music and culture with the millions who attend.

At CtS Leo and Ben came to share their steel pan playing with us and to talk about the history of steel pans. We learned how steel pans originated in the Caribbean and were developed after the African hand drums used amongst the black slave community were banned. Steel pans as we know them today are skillfully crafted; hammers and heating are used to shape the inside of the drum to form the individual notes. Leo and Ben brought two different types of steel pan with them, a pan with a larger ‘skirt’ that plays lower notes in the bass range and a tenor pan with a shorter skirt that plays the melody.

The children thoroughly enjoyed the performances; when Leo and Ben played a familiar song at the Grove site Year 2 broke into spontaneous singing! The event was made even more special by the fact that Leo is an ex-pupil of CtS – Leo we are so delighted that you came back to share your passion and talent with us once again.