We were delighted to invite 10 primary school pupils from Gorse Hill Primary School to start a series of lessons on our new set of steel pans. The pupils were very excited by the opportunity and the first session was a real hit. Steel Pans teacher, Mr Aiken, was very impressed with the young people who took to the pans with aplomb!

The history of steel pans is fascinating and can be traced back to the enslaved Africans who would use drumming as a form of communication , and found creative ways to make music in spite of the oppression they faced. Trinidad was a British colonial island in the late 19th Century. In 1877, the British government tried to enforce further oppression to the freedom of the black community by banning the playing of drums in celebration or in a festival - all in an attempt to suppress carnival.

Their attempts didn't work. Instead, people invented an instrument made of bamboo called Tamboo Bamboo. These instruments were tuned to different sounds by their length.  This method of making rhythm and music evolved to use metal objects to make similar sounds - anything from junk metal to household items. Different sized and shaped objects would produce different pitches and sounds which all together a band could create tonal music with.

In turn, these instruments evolved into the steel pans that we recognise today - a single pan with different pitches based on different raised levels within the pan. The steel pan has become a symbol of the Caribbean. It is the only musical instrument invented in the 20th century.

In the 1940s, steel pans started being created using 55-gallon oil drums, and are now the national musical instrument of Trinidad & Tobago.

The music department is always looking at ways in which our students can become involved in music – and Mr Wright is very excited to begin using the steel pans in lessons, concerts and for school events.