Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 17/Aug 03:05

Sachelle’s steelpan colouring book

Ray Funk PAN MONTH is a good time to look at the work of young creative people dedicated to pan. Sachelle Thomas, 27, who grew up in East Trinidad, is one: she’s just published her first book, Steelpan Coloring and Activity Book. Full-size and over 70 pages, it is a combination of colouring pages and activity pages of mazes, crosswords, fun facts and connect-the-dots puzzles: it aims in various ways to engage primary students to learn about and explore pan. Thomas has been involved with pan almost since she was born. She began playing pan at four, taught first by her mother and then many others. Her mother Dicasia Clement taught pan to a lot of children, teens and adults, along with the legendary Nervin “Teach” Saunders, the important pioneer from Invaders, at the Eastern School of Pan Music. For Sachelle, “Teach was a vibrant, gently powerful soul who, alongside my mother’s guidance, constantly encouraged me to strive for excellence,” she said during a recent Zoom interview. As she grew older, Thomas attended the Birdsong summer music programme, and from there got involved with Birdsong’s Saturday Music Academy, as she wanted to be challenged and explore various instruments. She performed with the St Augustine-based steelband for seven years and eventually became a tutor at the academy. From there, she later joined the Supernovas for two years, appearing in the band for Panorama. She fondly recalled the peaceful space in Surrey Village, Lopinot, surrounded by trees, with spectators and supporters from both within and beyond the community there: for her, “It was a magical experience!” [caption id="attachment_1172589" align="alignnone" width="590"] Steelpan Coloring and Activity Book is packed with over 70 pages. -[/caption] At the University of Trinidad and Tobago she got her undergraduate degree in fine arts, specialising in music (steelpan), and this year she’ll be starting UTT’s masters degree in Carnival studies. Being at NAPA and studying under Dr Mia Gormandy-Benjamin inspired her to become part of the Trinidad All Stars, with whom she’s played for five years. She is currently also the assistant director of All Stars Senior Academy. For the last several years, Thomas has worked for the Ministry of Education, providing primary-school music education at various schools on a rotating basis every week, teaching pan and other instruments. She also teaches pan at the Solari Centre for Music Therapy in St Ann's under the direction of music therapist Martina Chow-Antoine. Thomas has also taught pan abroad, in South Korea and Guadeloupe. In Korea, she taught a month-long residency, leading workshops in schools and culminating in a final performance that blended pan with traditional Korean instruments. In Guadeloupe, in preparation for the French Panorama, she did a technique workshop for students from the Karukera Steelband led by Yanis Roset. In recent years, she has also frequently travelled to the US, joining one of South Florida’s leading pan sides, Sticks ‘n Tones – a band that has won Miami Panorama three times under the direction of Kobie Alleyne, the youngest arranger ever to claim the title. All this has stimulated her long-held desire to write books and create educational materials. She started with a few pan tutorials on YouTube, because she felt there were gaps in the existing material, and what she found was not designed to be engaging and, well, fun! [caption id="attachment_1172590" align="alignnone" width="791"] A page from Steelpan Coloring and Activity Book. -[/caption] She started by creating activity pages for her students. After that, she wanted to create a book for children that incorporated different approaches. “I went into various bookstores. I looked for activity books for kids…and I made a checklist by looking at the books and deciding what I would like to include in my book.” She wanted to challenge children with activities that at the same time they could really enjoy. Initially, she planned just to focus on TT, but decided, since pan is global, to represent that in this book as well. All the art and all the activities in the book are her creations. Initially, she wanted to outsource the art to a professional, but the cost led her to create her own images, and she soon found she could do that as well. When she drew images of people she knew – like Leon “Smooth” Edwards longtime winning arranger for Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra and Gormandy-Benjamin, Thomas would send a few different versions to them and ask them to pick their favourite, and those ended up in the book. Her next book? She’s not sure. She has been writing poetry since she was a teenager, and maybe that is next. She definitely plans to pursue her education as far as she can take it, and hopes to be a music professor, with steelpan front and centre. For now, Thomas is trying to get the word out on her first book. Privately printed, it is available internationally from Amazon and soon in various bookstores across TT. Now that the book is out, she is starting various promotional efforts. She was featured in the first In Tune podcast and appeared on the TTT Morning Show on World Steelpan Day, August 11.   The post Sachelle’s steelpan colouring book appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.