A Steelband Jamboree!

In my humble opinion what the art form needs is to stop pretending that it’s an alternative to the concert stage orchestra and return to its roots as the driver of what used to be the world’s greatest street party.
In the global context the steelband (not the pan itself) will always be seen as a novelty especially as it loses its image as the driving musical force behind the Trinidad Carnival, an image that’s more than half a century old.

In my opinion the national instrument deserves a dedicated national steelband street festival similar to the carnival of the old days.
(Note that I said “national festival “, not a regional or local affair.)

This doesn’t have to be at carnival time ; it could be on another holiday or designated time .
At this point I think doing something like this at carnival is impractical, the demands of panorama are too much to allow for this.

For the Steelband Jamboree ( a possible name for the event) I would suggest limited or restricted DJ participation, licensed vendors authorized by PanTrinbago for a fee , and the steelbands sponsoring all inclusive mobile events, providing food and drinks along with a t-shirt at a reasonable cost.
Additional costuming will of course be optional.

I would try to avoid using trucks, this is an element which has caused a distancing of the bands from their supporters, and a change in the intangible steelband vibration in my opinion.

And btw , no motorized vehicles would also be a way of putting more money in pan people’s pockets!

Since there would be little if any uncontrolled DJ noise, even a smaller or pan round neck steelband would be fine!

Honestly I feel that the steelband movement in Trinidad has gotten somewhat complacent, they seem to be waiting for things to happen instead of taking the initiative.
However a more proactive approach is needed if we are to go forward into the future.
And this will take mature and dedicated players willing to put in the time and effort; I’v noticed that today’s steelbands seem to be dominated by kids and students which may limit the flexibility of the bands in the entertainment context since most seem only to be interested in Panorama , and which gives another reason for excuses why more cannot be done.

It’s a lot easier to focus on panorama and the hope of that panorama check than to come up with alternative ways of creating growth and generating income !