Double Service (1st Aramalaya & Kelly Services)

Date for Entry: (Sunday 23rd June, 2013)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 14th June, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I had a long task and a long enjoyable day to play for service. I volunteered to play some other hymn inspiration songs during the worship too. The song that I played were:

• Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet
• Open the eyes of my heart
• The Lord’s prayer
• Doxology
• Threefold Amen
• Coral Benediction

          

    I also had to do a Scripture reading too. It was long and I was so nervous to do it. In church, it was okay but then I knew that I had to get it out so that I can do it well for when I got to Kelly. This means that I would have to do the reading again along with the other six songs on the pan.

    The ride to Kelly Presbyterian Church was good. It helped me to get rid of the nervousness. The church was very small. It was the size of mama living room. There were only about fifteen people apart from us in the congregation that day. 

    At the time I was to play the Threefold Amen, they had already started and I didn’t want to spoil it. Then when Ria told me to start, it was already late. But I had to do the Choral Benediction after. Johan and Joshua played with me. There were no programs for this particular service. No photographs were taken.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Father's Day (2013)

 Date for Entry: (Sunday 16th June, 2013)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 14th June, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today was Father’s Day in Trinidad and Tobago. I had to play with the Youth Group on the pan. Not many of us are in the pan group. Just about four to five people. WE had to go and play “Oh my Papa.” Then the Golden Years came up to play for the rest of the service. I wanted to play with them because I only needed to get the music. Their music sounded easy enough to sight-read on the spot.

    I was truly impressed because I didn’t know that they could read music like me too. And they were led by Zara for each of their presentations. Nice music filled the church. 

    At the end of the church service when I went to pack up my pan, I was looking into their music folders and there were only letters written in them. Then I realized that they didn’t know how to read music. But I didn’t blame them. I still appreciated their playing. 

    Later, Vijay and his son came up to Tunapuna to Visit Papa for a short period. They left just before Andrew and Dad came up to visit.

Link(s):

1. Aramalaya Father’s Day Program
   
2. "Oh My Papa" (Lead Sheet) Score
   

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

ABRSM Theory Examination (Grade 4) - Season 2

Date for Entry: (Saturday 15th June, 2013)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 14th June, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today was my Music Theory Examination with the ABRSM for Grade 4 Theory. It was held in St. Georges College. It took me entire an hour and a half and a half to complete the paper. 

    Sadly, I knew that the distinction AGAIN was not coming out for me because there were several questions I didn’t know how to answer. Soon after that evening, I had to leave home to go to a Youth Group meeting. We had to do a Pan piece for Father’s Day Tomorrow. 

(Update)

    When I got the results sheet I felt glad that it was not a fail. Even knowing that the distinction would not be coming to be, I decided to take the merit in hurt. I still cannot believe that it was just six points away from the distinction.

    During pan practice that evening, Zara was there with some others already going through the piece. When I got to church and set up my pan (Stanley), Zara gave me a copy of the music. 

    I could see that she might have been glad that she did not have to write out the names of the pitches or me. I too was surprised because it was a piece that she had given me previous to learn, which was "Oh My Papa." The only difference was that this piece was in Bb Major. The one she gave was in D Major. I did not mind the key.

    I can also recall that during the lesson she was finding trouble teaching Joshua and Johan. I was looking on at it too and then she came by the pan next to me and said, "Let's play the whole thing top to bottom, Nah?" I agreed and after she counted her preferred tempo we played out the whole score. I also recall that her mom was sitting very close to us and looking. 

    It was fun for me to play out the whole thing. For me, I was sight-reading the whole thing alright. I'm not sure if she had used it before. While playing it with Zara I was wondering how she was going to arrange this or if she was just going to let the three of us boys play the melody. 

    Some long years after this day, I took the same copy of the "Oh My Papa" score I found on Wikipedia scores and arranged it for steelpan. I believe it was in a summer vacation of UWI during the Degree and mommy was in Eric Williams ward. I was deciding to do the arrangement. It was actually in the car that I was turning on the laptop and beginning to create the score template.

Link(s): 

• "Oh My Papa" Score.

• Results & Certificate of  ABRSM Grade 4 (2nd Season).
• "Oh My Papa" Steelpan Arrangement.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

NCSE Music Examination (Written)

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 12^th June, 2013)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 14th June, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I had the Visual and Performing Arts Examination for the NCSE exam. The students have the option to choose between either Art or Music. And of course, I choose Music. The multiple-choice questions were easy. Some who choose Art had it hard for them. One of my friends did not have it easy and we heard the teacher yelling in the back of the hall. 

     One of the questions I remember was asking “how to hole the pan sticks correctly.” Unfortunately, I didn’t know the right names of the fingers at that time. So, I had to give the names of the human fingers in numbers. In addition, they asked about categories of instruments. 

    One interesting new word I came across in the exam was membranophone. I tried to make up an answer for that one. So, I gave a wrong answer and said that it was to do with the Soprano voices. That made me throw away some good bit of marks. If there was a steelpan question then I would most likely be looking at the pans at the back right-hand side of the stage while crafting the response in my mind.

Link(s):

1. National Certification of Secondary Education (NCSE) – 2013 Exam Timetable.

Daryl Zion M. Ali