THE Pan Minors Music Literacy Camp is being held for the 13th time this year. Established with a view to providing young people with an opportunity to learn and appreciate steelpan music, the camp also fosters other musical talents and cultural heritage.

Held annually, Republic Bank has been sponsoring the event, which is a product of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport under the National School of Music and the Ministry of Education’s Unit of Allied Arts.

This is the second year that Kellisha Edwards will be coordinating the camp, which will run from August 12 to 23 and will see participants from various school bands across the country.

“It’s a collaborative effort by the ministry and Republic Bank, and the camp is held to focus on strengthening the skills of players, whether new players or those from school bands around the country,” Edwards shared in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine.

This year, there will be seven regional camps: Region Two at Anna Regina Secondary, Region Three at West Demerara Secondary, Region Four at Buxton, Georgetown at the National School of Music, Region Six at Berbice High School, Region Seven at the Bartica Community Center, and Region 10 at the Mackenzie High School.

At the moment, organisers are reaching out to the different bands to see how many people will be attending. The target, though, is 175 students.

“Music helps to open up the capacity of the students to learn more. It helps them develop a skill, learn about collaborating with others, teach them discipline, as well as causing them to be a bit more focused with their school work,” Edwards said.

The unit in the Education Ministry is assisting with the groundwork and coordination since it deals with the performing arts.
Joel Gonsalves, Education Officer – Music, shared that the camp is being taken to various regions across the country this year. “We are hoping that our students will benefit and that their interest will peak not only to play an instrument but also to advance and move to the next level of music which is CXC that is being offered in our country,” he expressed.

He pointed out that music is a part of the five priority programmes. “That also helps to highlight that at the end of a child’s secondary school life, at least the child will be given an exposure to play an instrument or two.”

Gonsalves said they are hoping that as a result of this, they will get students to buy into their programme so that they may be able to enjoy a balanced curriculum.

According to the Ministry of Education, the art form of steelpan playing originates in the Caribbean. “History has shown that it is the only musical instrument invented in the early nineteenth century. Studies have shown that music education at an early age greatly increases the likelihood that a child will grow up to seek higher education. In addition, students who had an exposure to music made better team players in the workforce,” the ministry said.

“The relationship between music education and better performance in life is not accidental. If we want to continue as a creative society, finding solutions to the ever-changing world, we need to expose our children to the arts. Music will help to shape our culture, and it is the great equaliser among people of different racial, social and economic backgrounds,” it added.

Just recently, the Amity Schools Steelband Festival, organised by the same unit in the Ministry of Education, was back again, with some of the best school bands across the country coming together to perform for the public at the Seawall Esplanade in Kingston.