There cannot be anyone in Bermuda who has not heard of or enjoyed steelpan music, be it here or abroad. The national instrument of Trinidad, steelpans have been a welcome part of our music scene for decades. Whether as a solo instrument or a full-blown band, the sound is as distinctive as it is beguiling.

Over the years, some Bermudians have learned to play the pans, particularly professional musicians, but compared to other instruments such as the piano and guitar, the numbers have not been great. With the inclusion of classes in some local schools, more of our children are being introduced to the art of steelpan playing.

Now classes are being offered at the Bermuda School of Music for people of all ages who have an interest in learning this instrument.

The instructor is Janice Pearman, who hails from Trinidad, and it takes a few minutes in her presence to realise just how proud she is to be teaching her national instrument in Bermuda, and how much she enjoys seeing her students progress.

While some students have already enrolled, she is looking forward to welcoming more students to the new BSM classes, which have just begun and will continue, like all school years, until next June.

The fact that participants will not have steel pans at home on which to practise is not an issue because classes are taking place twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Class size is limited to 15, and entry is on a first come, first served basis.

The BSM classroom is filled with a 15-piece orchestra of pans, and students will be moving around the various sections of the music, playing the melody one week and the accompaniment another, for example.

Giving a brief "tour" of the steelpans, all of which have their notes visibly marked on the indentations to assist learners, Mrs. Pearman explains how the various instruments compare to their stringed counterparts. The tenor, for example, is comparative to the violin; the double tenor and double second to the viola, the cello is the same in both instruments, as are the basses, while the guitar pan sounds like an acoustic guitar.

Looking at the array of pans, and learning that one person plays six bass pans, for example, invites the question: Is learning difficult, and what is required?

"Pans are interesting, easy instruments to learn, and they can tap into any kind of music — classical, jazz, reggae... They are fun to learn for all ages, and the sound is beautiful," Mrs. Pearman says.

"My students at Paget Primary, for example, are between eight and nine years old when they begin. This is one instrument where you get almost immediate results, so you are playing a song from day one. It might be a simple song like 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', but then you move on. The students we had in June were able to play four or five songs in ten sessions."

While those with no knowledge of music or musical instruments can learn the steelpans, the instructor says playing the piano is helpful in translating to the the new instruments.

"Once you know what the music alphabet and the note values are, with a little rhythm you can play the pans," she assures.

To make it easier for beginners sightreading the music, which is written especially for steelpans, Mrs. Pearman adds the alphabetical names of the notes, but says students soon pick up where they are on the pans and play them without looking. The students also learn from each other as they go along, and during rehearsals different sections will play together because there are times in the music when one section is not playing while the other carries the rhythm and melody.

Students are assigned one instrument per term. They may be playing melody, counter melody or accompaniment, based on the song.

"It makes sense that the student stay on one particular instrument, at least for a term, so that they get some type of mastery of the instrument," Mrs. Pearman says.

Other factors in the learning process include holding the sticks correctly, and the proper playing stance.

During the current term, students will learn classical and pop pieces, and if there is time, reggae, and nearer the time music appropriate to the Christmas season. As the terms progress, Mrs. Pearman plans to add to new pieces to the repertoire. At various times of the year she also tries to include what is topical.

"We try to learn music from different genre so that we are not stuck on one type of music," she says.

Although she was born, raised and educated in Trinidad, Mrs. Pearman did not learn to play the pans until she chose music as her elective at teacher's training college, based on her experience as the choir leader and music director at her church.

As a child, she taught herself to play the guitar at age eight, and also took piano lessons. She gained her both Bachelor of Music degree specialising in steel pans, and her Master's degree in curriculum and technology in education in Trinidad.

Mrs. Pearman came to Bermuda six years ago as the music teacher at Paget Primary School, where she introduced pan lessons in 2004.

"We are the only public school that has steel pans on the curriculum, and the children love it," Mrs. Pearman says proudly.

• For further information and to enroll in the BSM steel pan lessons please telephone 296-5100 ext. 208.

THE STEELPAN’S HISTORY

The steelpan or steel drum originated Trinidad. It is the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th century, and is a pitched percussion instrument, tuned chromatically, and made from 55-gallon drums of the type used to store oil. In fact, drum refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made; the steel drum is correctly called a steelpan or pan as it falls into the idiophone family of instruments, and is not technically regarded as a drum or membranophone.

Steelpan orchestras comprise instruments covering the full range of a conventional orchestra: Tenors, double second, cellos, guitars, bass, quadro and six pan, as well as a rhythm section. The instruments are created from old oil drums, and are extremely versatile. Those who play them are called pannists.

Steelpans originally emerged in organised form during the latter part of the 1930s. The steelband is generally regarded as a development of the tamboo bamboo band; tamboo being derived from 'tambour', the French word for 'drum'. The steelpan was found to be very effective in producing more subtle and complex harmonies as people gradually learned to produce cleaner, sharper tones from used oil drums.

When Trinidad and Tobago sent a steelband to England as part of the Commonwealth celebrations in the 1950s, the enchanting sounds marked a turning point in the social acceptance and progress of this music internationally, in addition to becoming inextricably associated with the cultural fabric of those Caribbean islands.

In the 1960s, steelpans figured significantly in Trinidad's independence celebrations; later performed for the Queen on her visit to the island; and went on to be the basis of festivals, competitions, and international tours.

Today, steelpan music is a widely accepted art form, with bands and individual players performing all around the world. It is a major feature of caribbean carnivals wherever they are held. But it is not only 'island' music which these bands play. Classical, jazz, pop, reggae and more lend themselves beautifully to the steelpan's attributes, as does playing in conjunction with other instruments and string orchestras.