Recession

Its official, I am a victim of recession. My hairline has moved so far back in my head I'm wondering if I shouldn't do an automatic lean forward just so people can see that I'm not some kind of alien.

Does it ever grow back on it's own? Hey I bet you sales of Rogaine have not been affected by this recession. They probably have increased sales if anything.

A big part of the problem is my hairstyle. I interlock my hair and the roots don't like that. At least the people who just palm roll their locks don't seem to be affected by the recession. Let me try that option first before I go full out and chop it all off. Be warned however, if that doesn't work, Mel shall be going back to her roots, and only her roots so help her God.

Update

Okay, so I've calmed down now. I'll go back to them next year. It was a great experience overall and I made some new friends and contacts.

In the meantime, where does the semester fly?I have a concert this weekend to perform in. (Marimbas, rainsticks, castanets and claves) then presentation the next week and assessment who knows when.Then I hear the department has a mandatory performance at the end of the semester. Thank goodness for teachers who actually realize that students need schedules IN ADVANCE so they can plan their activities. I can't even say that the three holidays help since school will be closed and I won't get to practice on actual instruments. Yes I said three, Trinidad has Shouter Baptist Liberation Day on the 30th of this month plus Good Friday and Easter Monday.

And for all those who thought I was mad, playing on air pans is in fact excellent practice. I've also been introduced to beating a pillow by my drumkit teacher. The logic behind that one is that you will develop wrist strength from being forced to play correctly on something that has absolutely no bounce.

TCCCCHHHHHH!!!!

Soooooo..... I am not impressed by the attitude I saw displayed at Panorama.

Essentially after all the big lead up with the full white suits (hat/jacket/pants/shoes) and fireworks and months of practice we lost bad bad bad. Shameful bad.

The losing is not the problem, is how we lost and the way that the loss was dealt with that leave me shaking my head.

Simply put we came 6th out of 8 bands. We were the second band to perform on stage for finals and after semi finals we were ranked number 2 so we were in a good position. The rules stated there should be no more than 100 players. In order to avoid total disqualification the manager had to go (on stage) and remove sticks from players. An entire rack was told not to play in addition to players at the back. Obviously, there was an overabundance of players. A total flaunting of the rules.

When yuh get ketch wid yuh pants down , don' blame di person who ketch yuh fuh having eyes in dem head. Is you mek di mistake. Why then do you want to blame the organising body and say that they have it in for you? Why screw up yuh face and mutter about how you hope they check this band an dat band?

(Shakes head) "Tief nevah like fi si tief wid long bag" . The mood was very sour that night. The only consolation was that an underdog took the title. Congratulations to Silver Stars. I still enjoyed the experience and am thankful that I actually got a chance to play, but I am reconsidering who I play with next year.

Las' Lap

Tonight is the final practice before Panorama Finals tomorrow evening. We drew playing position numero dos so I'll get an opportunity to hear some of the other bands this time.

Hopefully there will not be a repeat of Panorama semis. Why you may wonder? Well lets see, the engine room was jamming so hard that the baffle (plastic sound reflecting board) above them, fell on top of the congos and the scratcher player and me. In doing so it cut the string on my left pan so I was playing a single double tenor. Yeah, just a regular day for super chick.

I am definitely looking forward to the competition.
http://www.panonthenet.com/tnt/2009/tunes/festival.htm You can check the link for the song that we're playing. Honestly the pan version is incredibly better.

Right, so I'm leaving. Keep your ears tuned to the web and your eyes to the blogosphere.

Results

We came second. Two points separate us from the leader of the pack.

At this stage every little thing seems crucial.

Panorama Semis

As of this moment I am still waiting to hear the results.

If you follow the man on the street or the commentators on the radio then Exodus took it by storm.

No one can really prepare you for the experience of participating in a panorama. I can safely say though that it is an AWESOME experience!

If you have ever participated in a major street jam say an Independence Day parade or a carnival street parade then you can start to get a feel of the vibe. Hundreds of persons beside/in front/behind/near to each other and you on a rack jumping up and down like a jumbie , a little raised creature on a pedestal.

Its very easy to see why artistes get high of their own egos cause trus' mi. I ain't reach nowhere an all me getting nuff love an hype from fanatics. LOLOL, an dese pan ppl have some diehard supporters. We joke about our little "groupies" but when yuh see ppl man woman child in your jerseys an who have on di batty ridah shorts and who have on di muscle shirt an all dem waan kno seh yuh play wid Exodus?? Craziness. These ppl are there only becuase THE BAND deh deh. Dem doan waan nuttn more dan dat. An dem doh hf to be drunk neida. Dem doan care bout no music from nobaddy else, dem doan care bout where dem live, or which a dem fambly playing where from how long. Dey is X.O fanatics an dem blood run black an white (Exodus colours)

Part of the fun for me was having to push the racks (think trolleys) around the Savannah to reach the judging stage. I have passed there numerous times by car and I am still flabbergasted to realize how far I was walking, and to a judging point no less!! Anyways, it was fun cause intermittently we would stop and the drill master would beat the tock tock/cowbell/pans and we'd all climb back on and start to practise again. An everytime yuh play, is more ppl dat jumping up to yuh song. An more, an more . An den yuh reach near the stage (An by dis time it well dark eh) and yuh hear the radio version of your song being played over and over on the loudspeakers an yuh realize.. "wait, it have more ppl out dere?"

And then, the last push up the stage and you finally see... grandstands front and behind and its a stadium full of ppl welcoming you home.

(Finals are the 21st of this month. I will try an post more highlights as we go along but the best thing really is just buy a ticket an reach)

Seh Wah?

So we supposed to start learning the actual Panorama chune Monday, great!!

and den di arranger drop di bomb. He fine dat we going too slow. All dis learning from score an ting tekkin too long. Dis one tek half hour, an dat one tek 45mins an den we ain't learn di chune yet.

Nah!! He going bak to di ole time days. He coming an teach each section by heself...

All yuh... when mi drap down ded inna di panyard from drilling please fi tell mi breddah seh mi did ded wid a smile pan mi face.

Nice too bad.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year all!!

So far I've passed all my courses and I started practice with Exodus on Monday. Seeker I got the confirmation, we're actually learning bomb tunes for the road on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

It's a GREAT start to the new year. :-D

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

Pedestrians and Passengers

And yet another of the group has caught the spoogiedom train. As a lowly pedestrian still waiting for the train I can not but notice the benefits of finally catching said train. For example, the relaxation one feels now that the load of life has been made less burdensome. Passengers it has been noted are more friendly, patient and flexible.

There is also the good cheer of fellow passengers/pedestrians when one has gotten on board after waiting at the train crossing for some time. This is of course only highlights the nature of the train system which as they say is "never on schedule but always on time" (shrug that's public transportation for you :-)

For us pedestrians whether waiting patiently or walking to another train track, please remember to observe the rules of the road. (Yes they apply to pedestrians as well). Simple things that you learned from your parents will keep you safe; Look both ways before crossing, do not step out into oncoming traffic etc. Granted these days buses trains and all manners of vehicles seem to be jumping the curb and bouncing us pedestrians, but it still pays to follow these simple tips. Selah.

Moving Out

(sniff sniff) I feel like the proverbial child that's finally leaving the roost (sniff sniff) Come Monday morning I will start a new job. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

I'm happy that I'm finally moving on to something else but I'm sad to go. I've been here since I was a still a student. I know everyone and their habits. Plus I can walk to work and pan! Ahh well.

I go to a position with definitely more responsibility, challenges and pressure. But I'll also have more opportunity, meet new people and be that much closer to reaching my final goal of a music degree.

Wish me luck guys!

But ah wah di eyy!!

I looking at this ting now an I realize is actually 89 PUBLISHED posts!!!! This means I actually have 11 more posts to do. Like Duh stupid :-S

Anyway, simplify di ting. Can't bodda stretch out this post thing I'm just going to give my top 3 picks and y'all can pitch in with your own picks (whether your own blog or mine).

• At number 3 - I pick a more recent post For Want of Questioning .Solid stuff. Looks at my spirituality and some reasons for the path I'm on. It also puts out questions that most persons will have asked themselves somewhere along the line.
• Next in line 2 - Coincidentally called Take Two it's one of my earliest pieces. Again it's solid food for thought, giving way too much insight into me and the things that make me who I am.
• And the grand finale 3 - Pansong. My passion.