Trinidadian Steel Drum (Pan) Bands in Three Great Lakes States: a Study of Musical Migration
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TRINIDADIAN STEEL DRUM (PAN) BANDS IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES: A STUDY OF MUSICAL MIGRATION by Janine Louise Tiffe A thesis submitted to the College of Fine and Professional Arts of Kent State Univeristy in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts May, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .........................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 6 Statement of Question ....................................................................................................................... 6 Method .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Personal Experience .......................................................................................................................... 9 Review of Literature ......................................................................................................................... 10 Argument That Pan Has Roots in the United States ...........................................................................11 II. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF PAN: TRINIDAD, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE MIDWEST .............................................................................. 14 A Brief History of Pan in Trinidad and Tobago .................................................................................. 14 Modern Steel Bands and Standard Instrumentation .......................................................................... 20 The Arrival of Pan in the United States ............................................................................................ 21 The United States Navy Steel Band .................................................................................................. 22 Mannette Comes to America ........................................................................................................... 24 The Narell Family Contribution ....................................................................................................... 26 The Contribution of Jimmy Leyden .................................................................................................. 27 The People and Region of the Midwest ............................................................................................ 28 The First Instances of Midwest Pan .................................................................................................. 29 Gary Gibson and the Effects of Pan in Wichita, Kansas .................................................................... 31 TRINIDADIAN STEEL DRUM (PAN) BANDS IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES... i III. MOTT MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL AND MOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE ........................ 34 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Written Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 37 Individual Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 38 IV. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY STEEL BAND ........................................................................... 51 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 51 Written Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 53 Individual Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 54 V. OBERLIN STEEL ............................................................................................................................... 62 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 62 Written Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 63 Individual Interviews ....................................................................................................................... 63 VI. CONCLUSIONS Uniqueness ..................................................................................................................................... 81 Adaptability ..................................................................................................................................... 81 Community ..................................................................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................ 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 109 TRINIDADIAN STEEL DRUM (PAN) BANDS IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES... ii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 Mott Middle and Community College (Question One) ...................................................74 Figure 2 Northern Illinois University (Question One) ...................................................................74 Figure 3 Oberlin College (Question One) ....................................................................................75 Figure 4 Mott Middle and Community College (Question Two) ...................................................75 Figure 5 Northern Illinois University (Question Two) ...................................................................76 Figure 6 Oberlin College (Question Two) .....................................................................................76 Figure 7 Mott Middle and Community College (Question Three) .................................................77 Figure 8 Northern Illinois University (Question Three) .................................................................78 Figure 9 Oberlin College (Question Three) ..................................................................................78 Figure 10 Mott Middle and Community College (Question Three) .................................................79 Figure 11 Northern Illinois University (Question Three) .................................................................80 Figure 12 Oberlin College (Question Three) ..................................................................................80 TRINIDADIAN STEEL DRUM (PAN) BANDS IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the members of my committee Mr. Chas Baker, Mr. Ted Rounds, and especially my advisor Dr. Terry E. Miller, for working with me. I absolutely have to mention and thank Mr. Dan Dodds and Dr. Chris Tanner. Without their influence, guidance, and leadership I would never have fallen in love with music in the way that I have. I extend a special thanks to Mr. Jim Coviak and the Mott Steelheads, Dr. G. Alan O’Connor and the NIU Steel Band, and the Oberlin Steel Band for allowing me to be up close and personal with their programs. Great thanks to my editors: Kristina Winters, Lindsay Sitko, and Judy Smith. My deepest love goes to all of my friends and family that have helped and supported me through this work. Every kind thought, word of encouragement, and bit of input really made a big difference. Finally, I want to thank the countless pan men and women from the past, present, and future. Call me what you want. Do what you want. But we like we pan. And we had to beat that pan. —Mack Kinsale TRINIDADIAN STEEL DRUM (PAN) BANDS IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES... iv CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Statement of the Question With such rich cultural, musical, and emotional ties to its homeland, it is hard to imagine steel drums, commonly referred to as pan,1 finding a solid home on foreign soil. However, pan has made a home in the American Midwest, a region with relatively few Trinidadian immigrants. Steel drums and steel bands are found broadly across the Midwest in public schools systems, colleges, and universities. They perform in small combo groups, joining with a variety of non-pan groups and ensembles, on movie soundtracks, television soundtracks, and commercials. Not every Midwesterner has seen or even heard a steel drum, but that does not lessen its contributions to our culture, society, and its citizens. I seek to explore the question “What is the attraction of pan in the Midwest?” Steel drums and steel bands are synonymous with Trinidad and Tobago,2 a two island nation little known to the average Midwesterner. Pans were invented by Trinidadian street youths as a mode of self-expression, which created avenues for founding cultural traditions through music performance and interaction with one another. Initially, pan came to exist in the Midwest primarily through circumstances lacking considerable direct historical or cultural ties. There was a desire to replicate the pan experience in American communities as a result of individuals who had heard pan