December 5, 2012Dear Sir,I had the distinct pleasure of being entertained by the Bermuda School of Music Steel Pan Band on Sunday evening while attending the Goodwill Golf Tournament’s Opening Cocktail Party. I will declare my bias immediately: I love steel pan music. That said, there were several very special things about this group:n Their talent and skill level compared to those who have been playing for generations.n The range of music was fabulous … from the traditional steel pan to the top R&B, Reggae and Pop hits of today; they played each song like pros. In fact, they had the majority of the people in the tent toe-tapping and commenting on their brilliance.n The size and mix of male/female and more so the age range was the broadest I’ve ever seen.The most powerful thing and what created the greatest excitement for me was the number of young people in the Band who were not only brilliant at each specific instrument they played, but did so with such a high level of passion, that they created the atmosphere. To the more mature artists of the Band and to the Bermuda School of Music I say thank you! Thank-you for creating an opportunity to pass on this art form to the next generation of artists. Thank-you for creating a development opportunity for Bermuda’s youth.In this time where so many are proactively distracting our community from the most important issues through negativity or being distracted by all of the electioneering hubaloo, it was a wonderful reminder and an opportunity for me to refocus on what’s important. If every single person in this community put their energy, time and talent into developing our community positively, the way the Bermuda School of Music is doing with their Steel Pan programme, we would be so much further ahead as a community than we are today. I invite … not I challenge every single person in Bermuda to take a moment today to consider and more importantly, to action one thing between now and the end of the year that will have a direct positive impact on our community. Thank-you again to the Bermuda School of Music Steel Pan Band for such wonderful entertainment and for developing the youth of our island. To the entire band and especially the young people of the group, stay focused, keep on doing what you are doing. You are a gift to our community!KERRY A JUDDTrusteeNew Beginnings Education Trust