Percussion: Learn to Play Steel Pan for Adults (Ages 18+)

Course Description

Enjoy the beautiful island sounds of the steel pan!

Take a musical journey each week to Trinidad and Tobago to learn traditional calypso, soca and reggae tunes, as well as familiar pop songs.

There is no previous musical experience required for the Adult Steel Pan Ensemble.

The objectives of this course include learning the background and history of steel pans, understanding all of the different types of steel pans in the ensemble by trying each pan, and selecting one type of pan to focus on in the course. The Adult Steel Pan Ensemble will learn how to play relevant scales on the instrument, memorize the template and order of the steel pan, and learn how to play by rote (or by ear).

This class may include some students with experience reading musical notation and some without experience. For students who have minimal or no experience reading musical notation, we will learn this skill in the class and apply it to some of our steel pan tunes. Students who have experience reading musical notation will be encouraged to play steel pan parts that include more note reading. Students may choose their specific type of steel pan based on the sound they prefer and how much they would like to challenge themselves. Steel pan ensembles are meant to include everyone, and they always prove to be a fun experience all around!