Young steel pan players sought for orchestra

Young people are being encouraged to take up the traditional art of playing the steel pan musical instrument.

CultureMix Art, a music and carnival arts not-for-profit company based in Reading, Berkshire, teaches playing the instrument, which originates from the Caribbean.

Artistic director Mary Genis said children under the age of 16 could attend free of charge, which was "deliberate" because she wanted "all children and young people to be able to access the music, not just those who can afford it".

Tenor pan player Bilal, 13, said joining the orchestra felt like "being part of a family" and "something really big".

The musical repertoire and beats at the Hexagon in Reading range from Merchant's Rock it to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.

The steel pans are made of 55-gallon oil drums from Trinidad and Tobago.

Their shiny metal surfaces have a series of dents called notes, each of which creates a different tune, subtly different from those around it and according to their position and size.

Bilal is one of the 15 young people attending the sessions, having joined 18 months ago.

The teenager played at Notting Hill Carnival last year and is preparing to perform again.

"At the start, I was definitely very shy," he told the BBC.

"Towards the end, I was jumping about. It was kind of hectic but not hectic, because you're on a float and you can see all the people."

Pablo, 12, also attends, having played the cello steel pan, which has three barrels, since he was eight years old.

He said he had made friends after being in the orchestra and that it was "just so fun learning how to play an instrument and all the new songs - it never runs out".

Genis said the aim of the classes was for young people to get a taste for the music and develop skills.

The group often visits schools and youth clubs and two of their five weekly lessons are for under‑16s.

She said: "Younger people have a natural propensity towards being creative, towards the arts.

"It is a good opportunity to be able to explore that through an instrument that doesn't require you to necessarily read music or have any other skills."

She said she aims to develop her musicians towards some kind of employment, so they can "earn some money and they can see what opportunities are available in the creative industry".

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