Steel Pan Celebration!

As part of our learning in Black History Month, today we had a fantastic steel pan performance for all the children in the school!

Leo, who is an ex-pupil of CtS, came to talk about the history of steel pans and to play them for us. 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 brought in and showed us two different types of steel pan, 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. Each type of pan is played by a different type of beater to produce the right sound.

We all enjoyed Leo’s skilfull playing and the joyful sound that the steel pans made! Children got to ask Leo lots of questions and to hear about how he first started to learn the steel pans, how much he practises and how he both enjoys playing in a steel pan band, composing his own music and also teaching others to play steel pans.

Thank you Leo for sharing your music, talents and culture with us – we all learned so much!