One Down

So the function went well last monthh. Thanks to all the well wishers. The band played decently but were playing to some die hard pan fans so it was vibezy. Crowd turnout was really low though.

I survived my pan exam, made a couple errors but played through like that's how it was meant to be :-) For those who're curioius I played two pieces, Song without words by Mendelssohn and Maracas Bay by Anthony Prospect, both pieces arranged by the head of our department Satanand Sharma.

Hopefully results will be out soon so I can better enjoy my first Christmas in Trinidad, but overall it was a good semester. The biggest things I learned was that as weak as I may be I definitely improve with practice (like duh right), coming to Trinidad to do a music/pan degree was definitely not a waste of time, and finally, there are always persons who will do better and worse than yourself.

All these things seem quite obvious but soometimes the obvious just has to hit you in the face before you can accept it.

Its Showtime

Today I have my first band performance with my Contemporary Workshop Class as part of the UWI's 60th Anniversary celebrations. We're going to be closing today's concert doing about 5 or six jazz pieces. I'm nervous as I usually am before any performance, doubly worse since I'm not completely comfortable with the music. But eyy, the show must go on.

In other news, the department pissed me off last night when I realized that they had gotten some new percussive instruments and locked the music room preventing anyone from getting in. Of course why would we even want to get in when they had apparently taken out most of the instruments anyway to setup for the shows yesterday and today on main campus.

I realise everyday that part of coming to school in another environment means that I am going to be exposed to a lot of different styles and I need to be flexible and not get my knockers in a knit about everything. Anyway, good luck to me.

Arrrrrghh!!

Yuh know, I really didn't care who won. Yeah sure it would be great if the handsome black man won, woohoo. At the end of the day I don't forsee that great a political change in attitude.

But CNN just now made me see something I'd totally overlooked. They're gonna be total prigs!! If he wins (as stated by one of their panelists) " the world is gonna have to give us more respect than they're doing" , and then the head nodding started. They were all in total agreement that they should be given pats on the back.

Okay here's your pat. You've finally realised as a group (in your 44th presidential race) that women and minorities (maybe I should just tie that up and say marginalised groups) have front line potential.

People, please don't let it go to your heads. Make me a liar cause all I can hear is a chorus of Americans singing Kanye "How's it feel to wake up to be the s***t and the urine."

Ramblings

Why do we spend time pursuing things of no interest to ourselves?

What will it be like to survive doing the things that we truly love?

Bundle of Joy

For she's a jolly good fellllow, for she's a jolly good feeellow, for she's a jolly good fee he loooow,which nobody can deny. Hip Hip, HOORAY!!!

We welcome the birth of Abia Katherine Elizabeth Robinson to our double tenor family. (I hear seh we have more than one man dere to so m nah bodda call the odda D word, yuh zi mi)

While I must express my disappointment that at the last moment they did not choose my name to grace their daughter, I am satisfied that they chose and even better one. (I'd be a real chump if I said "Honeybee" trumps "God is my Father")

Here's to a future filled with glad tidings, joy and prosperity and above all, strong wrists.

For she's a jolly good fellllooww, for she's a jplly good feeellow, for she's a jollly goood fee - ee looowww, an so say all of we.

Great Evening

Just came from a pann jazz concert held in Exodus' panyard. Fabulous. There are a series of panjazz concerts being held during the month with the final one being held this Saturday . Not all of the acts play pan or perform jazz but in the main they stick to that theme. On Friday there'll be a street parade in Port of Spain, and tomorrow another concert in Port of Spain.


The one I just came from featured Exodus, a Canadian band called canefire (double seconds, keyboard, sax, horn, congos, drums, bass guitar) and the final act for the night, Black Stalin and the Roy Cape band.

Did I mention that this 3 1/2 hour concert was completely free?

Yep. Safe to say I had a great evening

The week in review

Had our first test on Monday. Pitch and rhythm, managed to pass so that's the first hurdle over. Next week's test I don't think will be as good but we'll see. So I'm basically in the swing of things here.

Work in the morning, class in the afternoon, practice and lunch in between, review of classwork and assorted lyming afterwards. Saturday mornings I'm at school for 8 am, a part of our Instrumental music course was an option for community service in arts with children. So I assist along with teachers and other students with the running of activities for little pickaninees like art and recorder class etc. A bonus for me is that the recorder teacher will be helping me to boost up my music theory after class for an hour. YIPPEE!!

All of this is highly new to me since this is first time I've been exposed to very young children for any length of time. Worse I actually have to interact with them. They're not ten bad. They actually kinda grow on you. (Don't be getting any smart ideas now ppl).

Happy to say that I made contact with "our" (aka Panoridim's) (former?) tuner today. Seems the remnants of Hurricane Omar that lashed the Eastern caribbean blew him down to Creative Arts Centre. Now all I have to do is come up with a sure fire way to get him to loan me a double tenor since the school only have THREE!!!!!!! Oh yeah and I made contact with the bass section leader from Exodus on saturday. Cool lady. Yeah, practice for Panorama starts sometime around the second week in January. If I didn't have exams and a performance in November I'd try to jump in on their practice for World Festival now.

Practice tomorrow morning Oooh bwoy. Rolls for 16, on chromatic. Yeah, just now I go start writing wit my toes. practice, and practice and practice and...

Trinidad Update

Thanks to David for warning me about some things here.

When you go to an abm trinis come inside. I thought he meant friends... Yeah, so like why should they all wait outside in the hot sun when there's ac and space in the abm machine. With you.

Now is when I realise how paranoid I am. Not everyone walks with their bag hitch up under their arm like they think someone's out to rob them. Ppl don't turn around ever so often to check who's walking on the road behind them. And they certainly don't think that coming into the abm machine at the same time you're in there is weird. And no, I'm not talking about those huge spaces that have multiple abms.

Apart from that trinis like their roadkill in this order:

1. Frogs
2. Snakes
3. Pedestrians

As of yet no one has told me that I am my mother's vagina (Ask David/Gay to break that one down for you) but that may be because I don't use the pedestrian crossing! HAHAHAHAH , (don' mind I not gone crazy yet)

So far I am having a ginormous blast in Trinidad. I live in a small apartment building about 5 mins walk from my school and 12 mins walk from the main campus. My classes are cool (you tube rocks!) and I never think twice about why I'm studying in this area. Peace of mind in that area is a wonderful thing, and if I had not done my first degree and spent x number of years working before I did this, I would not have appreciated it as much.

The best class for me is contemporary workshop ie a jazz band class. 5 -8PM on a friday and its like going to a jam session not a three (or more) hour class. Oh yeah, we have a UWI performance mid November and we still don't know all the pieces we're gonna play :-D but ayy, ain't no scene.

I also realise just how behind the rest of my peers in certain areas I am (is one thing to play an instrument but then to discuss the different aspects of what you do and what you're hearing is a separate matter). I was telling a friend that I was more than a bit intimidated. I did come here to learn however, and that's what I'm doing. Classes finish on Nov 28 which is kinda scary (I hate exams) and part of my assessment is to play for 4 mins in front of my peers and teachers (not too bad as long as I can get some decent music and polish it up properly. No skating for this diva!!)(Oh yeah, don't forget the performance on the 12th or 17th).

Okay so plan for tomorrow. Go to work in morning. Leave exactly on time (noon). Practice your homework again for at least 2 hours this time before your half hour session with Mrs Headley @ 4. Study group after class (make sure to tidy up your room before you leave the apartment) Touch a pan again sometime in the evening. Look over notes for next day. Lyme at Aunt Deborah's when I'm done all of that. Go over your sight reading solfa exercises for the test on Monday on aunt Deborah's keyboard. Eat at various points in between all of that. Sleep.

Yep, good to go.

Woooiiii, Rayyyyy!!

MUhahahahahah, and so it began..

They let the diva into the land of oil and soca..


Wow, I still can't believe I'm really in Trinidad. LOL, would you believe that there are relatives who still don't know I've left?

Man this campus is bigger than I thought. Nuff nuff walking up an down, and bear sweat jus a run.

Classes are in the afternoon, non of them start before 4 and on Wednesdays I have only half an hour for individual pan lessons. For now Fridays are free but that will change in october when I do a jazz class from 5-8pm, and I am happy.

Yes , I still have no definite idea about how I'm going to turn my degree into a career but I no longer have doubts about coming to Trinidad. Nuff respec to all the crazy ppl who had faith in me , especially Seeker, Rae and Katherine for helping me to clean house and pack :-D

I still haven't reached to a panyard yet but time enuff for that.



Mel