– GBTI Buxton Steel Orchestra making impact on community youths
For over ten years GBTI-sponsored Buxton Steel Orchestra has been helping Buxton youths to channel their energy towards positivity.
“For me, playing steelpan means that I can get off the streets and not get into trouble,” said Antwone Hill who has been part of the orchestra for two years.
The 16-year-old has never travelled out of Guyana and wishes to play steelpan overseas in the future.
Dinelli Blair who has been a member of the band for over four years, said being in the orchestra has been a wonderful experience.
“I get to go to different places that I have never dreamt of going before. It not only teaches us about music but it also teaches us about cooperation and team work. What I like about it is that we always look out for each other and we play together in unity and love,” Blair expressed.
The 18-year-old said that she always wanted to travel to Lethem and hopes that one day the band gets the opportunity to play in Lethem.
She added: “it is a great opportunity for young people. They can either learn to play music rather than being at home doing nothing. It also improves your skills and showcases all your abilities.”
The Buxton Steel Orchestra was revamped in August 2010 after the then President, Bharrat Jagdeo donated steel pans to the East Coast village upon requests made by the villagers. Later on, GBTI would become the Orchestra’s sole sponsor.
Taking up the job of leading the initiative was Fitzroy Younge also known as ‘Rollo’. Younge told Village Voice that Buxton did not have a steel orchestra for 50 years prior to receiving the steelpans in 2010.
The band’s trainer and arraigner from 2010 to 2019 was Frank Lynch.
The Buxton Steel Orchestra is an after school programme set out to keep the youths of Buxton occupied with positive activities while working “assiduously to consistently provide Steel Pan Music of the highest quality across Guyana”.
It is the group’s aim to be the best steel pan music provider in Guyana.
The group plays a wide array of music including oldies, folk songs, soca and national songs.
Practice sessions are held at the Tipperary Hall in Buxton every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday after school.
According to Younge who has been the Orchestra’s Coordinator for 10 years, the ban has grown tremendously over the years. It went from having just eight members to having 36 pannists with an average age of 15.
The Orchestra also went from playing at graduations to playing at flag raising ceremonies, churches, funerals, dignitaries’ residences, hotels, and even in the United States of America.
In 2016, 19 pannists along with Younge played at Guyana’s 50th Anniversary festivities in New York and New Jersey during a three-week stay.
In 2019, 2014, 2015 and 2017 the group copped the ‘Large band category’ championship for Guyana’s Panorama Competition and gained second position in 2020 and 2016.
In sharing success stories of the orchestra’s graduates, Younge noted that some seven graduates from the orchestra formed part of this year’s wining Police Force Steel Orchestra in the Large Band Category of the Panorama competition.
Due to their outstanding performances, two of the seven graduates who are now police officers, Jamal Stuart and Daniel Daly were honored by the Guyana Police Force’s Music Department and were promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal.
While stating the challenges faced by the group, Younge said that new quality steel pans are needed as well as a trainer and arraigner.
Younge hopes to take his pannists on a tour outside of Guyana in the near future as he thinks it will encourage them to continue playing and channeling their energy to do positive things.
