The MIC Institute of Technology has launched a musical curriculum for trainees, which could see them learning music literacy and receiving international certification.
The programme, dubbed Hype Music, was launched at MIC’s main office at the O’Meara Industrial Estate yesterday, as the school officially opened its music room.
The Hype Music syllabus allows trainees to pursue up to grade five in theory and practical elements of music, which would then be certified by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music exams out of London.
Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz, who spoke at the event, commended the board but added that pan-tuning programmes needed to be accredited.
“We need the degree in pan tuning,” he said.
Diaz said the country should not be left behind in education about pan, when it created the instrument.
“There are 500 schools in the United States which have a pan programme. We cannot afford to continue on the road we are going.”
He called on Education Minister Anthony Garcia to continue education on the steelpan in schools despite complaints about funding.
“I know it is difficult. I look closely at the funding allocations but pan assists to open the mind for education.
“Children dealing with pan in schools are doing better academically.”
Diaz said he often got calls from foreign universities requesting tutors and trainers on the instrument but could not recommend many people because they did not have their degrees in music.
Senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Jessel Murray, told Diaz that UWI offers a degree in musical arts.
“Our goal was to educate and make pan players literate,” Murray said.
He said long ago, in steelbands there was no literacy training and pan players never learned how to read music.
“What happened is that people could not play independently of the bands because they did not know how to read the music, and after Carnival the arrangements were discarded.”
Murray said it was through music literacy that pieces of local culture could be saved for future generations.