Sep 10
12
The Soothing Sounds of Steel Drums
One time a young individual approached me, (about twelve years young) and said , Hey Mister, How can I learn to play that musical instrument (Pan)? I told her to get her parents and return to the stage during my break, and I would explain things.
She arrived soon? after our break and I had the opportunity to meet some of the kindest people in all of Florida. Her name for this article was Lilly, a nice, quiet, cordial young lady with a passion for music. Lilly was a music student, learning Keyboards at one of our schools. I explained to her parent that I would be willing to teach their little girl the Steel Drum fundamental principle, so we exchanged numbers and I went about finishing my show .
A few days later, I got a telephone call from her father and he asked me when we could start the steel drum lessons. We reciprocally agreed on a time and date and we got started. Lilly had a knack and a good ear for music. We went over a few basic notes and the pan patterns and I had labelled the notes on the steel drum for her so she could follow the songs. The first lesson was about thirty –Five minutes in length. I gave Lilly some practice materials to work on and we scheduled another lesson. A few days after the first lesson, her mother telephoned me and said that Her daughter was continually practicing and the noise level in their home was elevating , however she pushed her daughter to continue with it .
The next week Lilly returned with all her notes and some additional information she had gathered. We set up the Pans to start the second lesson and we got started. She had memorized and preformed every song that I gave her and just about every song on my bands song list. Wow, I was astonished at the motive(a) of Lilly’s quest to learn the Steel Drum. We continued on for several more lessons and then Lilly moved on.
About a year later one of my band members brought an article to me with Lilly’s photo. He asked, Wasn’t that the girl that you gave lesson to? I said yes, that Lilly. As I was reading the article I started to get choked up . Lilly’s was photographed at a local medical facility performing for a loved one that was very Ill. I got in touch with Lilly after the article was written and now I understand a little more about life. Lilly explained that one of her family members had contracted a rare disease and only had a short time left , and she loved the sound of the Steel Drums. Lilly preformed at night and during the days when she returned home from school, until the passing of her loved one.
Lilly is one of the finest young ladies you will ever want to meet and one of Florida’s premier Steel Drum performers. She always keeps a photo of her loved one on her Steel Drum. The Moral of the Story should go, Start playing the Steel Drum and put a grin on someone’s face that needs a little help!!!!
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