Steel Drum Music

Look--I found something to write about! All on my own!

I was blessed to receive quite a lot of musical training, it made up to a large extent for my total lack of talent. Then all my kids went through band, and I was always a very active Band Parent, so I thought my knowledge base was fairly high. I've spent my life going to a variety of types of concerts. While not terribly knowledgable about strings, I've been privilaged to have many close friends who were quite the virtuosos on their instruments, so over the years I learned quite a bit. One of my favorite sections in any large museum is the area with musical instruments from all over the world. I thought I'd been exposed to it all, but oh how not so!

Last Sat. I went to the local high school's Steel Drum Concert. I've wanted to go for the past three years, but it just never worked out. This time they had one of the top guys in the world in, along with a touring college band.

I had NO idea!!! It was so musical that originally I strained looking for an electric piano. I did not believe that much music could come from such "ordinary" objects used as instruments! By the end I realized that each one had not a plain flat top as I'd expected but they were concave and many had different concave pockets. Those with the largest drums had a grouping of up to six drums circling the drummer, who would whirl around from one to another. It was amazing. It was fun and invigorating! I'm so glad I finally went. All because the director is Richards PA [performing arts] instuctor and I promised him I would attend. Richard couldn't--he had work and church activity. I invited his drummer friend [who had the church activity, but I didn't know about it 'til then] and his mother, my good friend. So she and I went. Fun!

I'm looking forward to the end of year concert--band, steel drum company, two HS choirs, middle school choir and parent's band! That was a new one on me! It is probably a good thing that I didn't know about it before. I believe I could play some percussion still...but it is better not to find out, I'm sure!