15 pans, 15 Americans, 1 week, 5 lessons, 1 groovy steel pan band. This week went by super fast and it was a lot of fun and a lot of work. We had steel pan lessons everyday for 3 hours with Mr. Harold Headley. We started slow with a couple scales and slowly worked our way up to knowing three little tunes. We each had to hold our own and help each other remember the parts and where the notes were. And we messed up a lot. But when it all came together, we rocked it. The sound of the steel pan is so beautiful and relaxing and versatile. We played a waltz, a bossa nova, and “Love Me Tender”, and we have heard the pan used for hip-hop, jazz, calypso, and Orisha songs. I’m so glad we got a chance to learn the national instrument and get involved in the rich culture of Trinidad. It was an awesome part of this whole experience.
Other than that, this week has been full of interviews, group meetings, planning, researching and writing. We have definitely had some progress but this project is a challenge for sure. We have our outline put together and have delegated parts of the paper and now we just need to organize and write. This weekend and next week we have some important interviews including two with Ella Andall the famous calypsonian and her son who is an Orisha drummer. It will be great to meet with them and get their take on calypso and the Orisha influences and African retentions. After that we pretty much have to pump out the paper and start planning our final project and preparing for Tobago. I can’t believe that it has already been almost four weeks and that we leave so soon. Interestingly, I am not too depressed to leave but I know that when I get home I will miss every last thing about this place. I guess I am mostly ready for this project to be finished since it has had its frustrations. I don’t want to make it seem that I haven’t enjoyed doing it though. I have learned so much and met so many cool people through this research and had some really valuable practice doing fieldwork. I know that we will all be satisfied when we have our end result after all the hard work.
All this week has been We Beat festival, a music festival in St. James, nearby. Last night we all went to vintage kaiso night which is like old school calypso. It was a long night but it was full of well-known loved performers from back in the day. Listening to calypso is like listening to the news or social commentary because it is very narrative and talks about what is or was going on in Trinidad and the world. It was entertaining, comedic, serious, and all to a good beat. There was also an eight year old boy who is the “Junior Monarch” of kaiso who rocked the concert and I was completely impressed.
Update on the dreads…they are looking good and I love them more everyday. I also love the reaction they get here instead of what I’m assuming I’ll be getting in the states. Not that anyone will really care but I also bought a cool wrap and it makes the dreads look even cooler. Woo!
No comments:
Post a Comment