Old Years' Service (2015) Aramalaya

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 31st December, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Friday 10th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Tonight, I dressed up in my long white shirt and yellow and black striped tie I got from Dulip Singh’s and my black vest coat to go to Church. Mr. Sharma came to pick me up and Andrew helped me carry my things down onto the platform. When we got there the Church was empty at that time. I was a bit nervous but felt alright. We took a warm-up and also played a few songs together. I was on my Tenor pan and Mr. Sharma was on the church’s piano. We played all of my Grade 3 pieces.

    Then for the Introit,, Mr. Sharma and his daughter Aria had a trio when we played “Ave Maria” together. It was good and better than I taught than we practised at their home in Dinsley. I really like his Music room. It was nice and had a beautiful piano. He played his Tenor Pan and I was on my one while Aria played the Double Seconds.

    We had a sermon by Reverend Anthony Rampersad. This was the first time I met him, which was introduced to be my Mr Lachan. There was also communion done on the same night. I was very excited to participate. We had to walk up to collect the wine from the Gold trays they had. I was first in the church to take because I was the only one sitting upfront as usual.

    A short wait was done until it was the New Year. I had to walk back down some rows of chairs because they had to join their hands for a chain of prayer. I had to run back to my pan immediately because at the end of the prayer we had to play “Auld Lang Syne” right then. This time Mr. Sharma played from the Organ. Aria and I were on the same steelpans. 

    After that, I got a program from the back deck for this journal. It looked nicely done as I placed it into my plastic folder. I went back home to start my first sonnet of the year, which I’m planning to do one each day to break Shakespeare’s record. I hope this goes well.

Link(s):

1.  Old Year's Service (2015) - Program.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Ave Maria Score

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 16th December, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today I messaged Mr. Sharma to remind him about the Sheetmusic for the Ave Maria that he said we had to play in church. I was excited that we were going to play for the old years’ service in Church. It’s been a long time since I had gone back for that kind of service.

    During the day, after printing out the full score he sent me, which was for piano and soprano voice, I took it and arranged the whole thing for a Pan Ensemble. It sounded lovely and I hope that someday, we could play it for an Old Year’s Night with the Youth Group when they get more mature players in the Ensemble, or if they even decided to start pan in the first place.

 

Link(s):

1.  Ave Maria Score.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Applied Music 1 - (First Jury Exam) - (Final)

 Date for Entry: (Friday 4th December, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today Mr. Sharma called me on my cellphone at about eleven o'clock and asked me where I was because I was running late for my Applied Music I exam. When I got to school, I saw that all of the students in my year group were happy that their exams were over because my time had skipped and gone already. My friend Shikia came and gave me a hug and another girl (Sheamya) that I knew from class and they left and she told me, “Bye! See you next semester.”

    Seeing the whole class walking off, I went and got a pan and two stands from finding out from my friend Abbigail that the Pan room was open. Inside the Pan Theatre, my two friends Justin and Jaid were playing Music together. I was like, “Wow! Why can’t I play so nice like them?” I took out Tenor Pan number 4 and went outside with my two-book stands and had a little chat with Abbie and her two friends and a guy from intermediate.

    The five of us spoke about the bad times of their older Intermediate class and then performed for this same exam I was about to do. Then the other girl who was there said she was gonna practice the next piece she was going to do for the next semester like mad. I would agree because I was gonna do the same thing too. She then said she’s gonna learn through the whole thing and just go through section by section in Class and have it good for the next exam time. When there was silence for smiles, I interjected with my smile and say I did that already and they all burst out of laugh. She couldn’t believe me.

    When the guy from intermediate was over, Mrs. Ramlal called me into Studio 4 to do my practical assessment. Mr. Sharma explain the whole process and there was a camera their video recording the whole thing. I had to say my name, Student’s Id and the names of the pieces that were going to be played. I didn’t get nervous about it because I was prepared to do it again like if it was the recordings I did for CXC, in the Paper 2 Performance section.

    When I was finished, I took the pan back to the Pan Theatre and Justin called me over with my Tenor Pan. He told me to come and play with them and he asked me if I knew how to improvise. I told him a little bit. Gosh, I wish I knew how to improvise well.

    So, then I played the chords since I didn’t know what they were playing. They then changed the melody to “Stand By Me” which I figured out by ear. I could see the guy (John) in the back playing the bass guitar with them smiling at me because I knew he realised that I figured it out.

    They then came to end it and while I signed for my pan to return back to the room, I walked back out with Justin and we went by Mr. Sharma. He wanted to find out when the results for the exam would come back out. Then Mr. Sharma took me to the other side of the building to walk with him and then he told me about reaching late for the exam. He then told me that he would email me the score for “Ave Maria to practice.”

    While dad picked me up, we gave Justin and Jaid a ride on their way out. And we all talked about the English course and how it is, and how hard it was.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Preparatory Academic Writing (Final)

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 3rd December, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today was my Preparatory writing Exam. I was too nervous. Aunty Vangy friend Jeannine was helping me but at the last minute, I decided to leave what she had taught me in so many long hours from last week Monday up until now, to do my own separate thing. With this, I had my own sense of confidence writing the exam.

    Andrew and I walked through JFK to a place called MP3 because I didn’t know my way around the campus. Then after some time, I chased off behind my friends to keep up with them to put my backs in the spaces it was supposed to be. Andrew was coming behind me as I was jugging down the flight of stairs and then while I was now with my friends he told me he was going to school on Gordon Street at the Huge Wooding Law School.

    I took out two pencils and my ruler with one black and one blue inked pen. I was only worried if I was going to forget the sub-points I made for my four controlling ideas of the essay. Reaching upstairs again, it was time to join the line with all my music friends from school to enter the examination room. It wasn’t that much coldness but the scenery was most beautiful. It gets nicer when the sun starts to set. It helped me as I was steering outside and all around the mountains to think of other points to add. 

    There wasn’t any scrap paper to use so I used my question paper to put in my workings. I took up the whole three hours to do the paper. Thank God I remembered the essay plan sheet I had to fill out. Without that, I would have lost a good set of marks. I had to hand in my exam paper to the examiner without checking over. The time was running by too quickly. Each paragraph took up more than a quarter of an hour but it was good to me. The feeling of having it over was good. I just didn’t understand why there were so many stick rules and police officers everywhere in the room.

 

Link(s):

1.  Preparatory Academic Writing - Candidate's Receipt.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

General Musicianship 1 (Final)

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 2nd December, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today on my way to school I saw my friend Monique walking up to school so I asked dad to stop and give her a ride. Then as we both came out mom asked her if she knew about the English that we had to do for tomorrow. Monique and I walked slowly down the corridor and we talked about how it is supposed to be. She told me that if I was going to do the Performing Arts, then I should write it in a way that it is explaining the whole thing as if the reader is someone who’s not familiar with the music before.

    Although I knew all of this already, she gave me some big inspiration and a new point of view to look at it in my mind as I listened to her speak. The two of us stood outside for some time because when she had finished talking about English, I decided to help her out in return for the exam in a while. She didn’t understand the differences between some of the minor scales and why they stayed on the SOLFEG note “la”.

    I told her that it starts on “la” and ends on “la” because it’s the same as calling out the letter names of the scale-like from A to A. The next thing I told her about it was that it starts on “la” because in C Major you would have to count a 6^th up the scale to get the relative minor. That is why it starts on “la” since it is the 6^th SOLFEG note.

 

    After this, we went inside and I helped her out a bit with two other scales of page 17 from our workbook but we didn’t bother with the Chromatic Scale part.

    Mr. Murray came in and asked us to leave the room and to put our bags in the percussion room, while the invigilators prepared for the exam. I wanted to carry in my water but they didn’t allow it. One of my friends was sent back because he didn’t have his Student’s ID card to enter the room. They were a bit strict with the Exam. I find that today was a day of 7’s in it. The 7 was smudged and another thing with 7 happened.

    The theory part was good but I find that the last question forced a lot of thinking because it required a lot of ledger lines and counting, which was so difficult but I just took my time and did it as best as I could. The worst part of that particular question was that I didn’t have my ruler in my pencil case but I did it neatly enough with another pencil together. 

    At the end of the exam, I spoke with other friends about the exam went until dad came for me. I took out a blank sheet of paper and began to formulate my essay plan for tomorrow’s English exam. 

 

Link(s):

1. General Musicianship 1 - Candidate's Receipt.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Intermediate Ensemble (2nd) Assessment (Yr.1; Sem.1)

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 25th November, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Thursday 9th September, 2021)

 Dear Diary,

    Today was a fun but tiring class with Mr. Sharma. He reminded me about the jury I would have to perform for at the end of the semester. Problems occurred in “With A Wink And a Smile.” After class, I took my pan and went to the front of the building to practice for intermediate.

    Then my friends Shikia and Nella helped me carry by pan and bookstand to the front of the pan theatre outside. At the time, some of the others were glad that there was a pan to get a little practice. Mr. Nurse took a long while to do the assessment. He decided to do the bass section first and have the tenors go last. I was the second set remaining of the tenors. He decided to take us in groups of four. He then decided to send me and a girl (Marsha) outside afterwards and then we went in a long while after to do over the same thing.

    I messed up a big set of the music. Then I went outside on the long corridor and sat with Shikia and Nella, while they put together their essay for Academic writing class and we were all talking about how unfair it was. Then later I sat there until four o'clock with a hungry stomach as usual and waited for my English meeting with my Group before going home.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Theory at Startlift with Mr. Lewis & Jean

 Date for Entry: (Saturday 21st November, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 8th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This afternoon, I went down to Mucrapo with Mr. Lewis because last night after calling him he wanted to carry me down to Starlift to teach some students. It was nice to see the yard empty. Whenever I always see the sign on the top of the shed “Starlift House of Music” I always get this big nervous feeling rushing inside of me. On each occasion of visiting the yard, I just need a few minutes before I can settle the feeling down.  

    When I came out of the car with Mr. Lewis, I saw Jean who I didn’t see in a while since Panorama last year. It was nice to see him again. We all went upstairs with the children and then Mr. Lewis gave Jean my book to look and see. It was there that I found out I was done with grade five music theory and we both agreed how difficult the grade six looked.        

    I got one of the students to go through key signatures. I really wanted to see if in an event that as such if my book would actually work but it was downstairs. The girl wasn’t really sure about it. I tried really hard to explain it. It was probably the first time that I was put with a student to teach a lesson. I had to leave her at the tones and semitones topic in her workbook.

    Then on leaving the panyard, I went to Royal Castle with Mr. Lewis to save some time for dad to come down to Port-of-Spain to wait got me. Before we could meet him, Mr. Lewis had misplaced his second phone he showed me a while back and then we searched the whole car until it was right on his side of the door. I left my book with him to look over which I’m sure may not even happen. 

    All new dad and I took a Bus-taxi on the Bus Route to Curepe and then we drove up to Youth Group in Church, which had started a long time. I know I was getting late when everything but my commitment to the Group didn’t cut just as yet. Ria told me that she knew we didn’t get to do anything with the pan so from January she will let me torture them out with it. Though the words came, the feeling of it never coming to be true was great in me.

    As I sit and waited for dad to drive back, I took a picture of the boys and girls from my Youth Group playing football out on the green lawn so I could put it to the sonnet I wrote on football that same day. Maybe I would get to include a copy of it with this entry.      

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Caribbean Lab Final Presentation

Date for Entry: (Friday 20th November, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 8th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I had to do a presentation with my Group at CLL in UWI as our final exam. I had to dress up like a slave and do a short speech. In this speech, I was expected to find something and say it back by memory but on the day itself, I preferred to improvise. It would have felt like Theatre Arts itself and would have been more exciting to me. On stage, I didn’t bother to panic. I just what Ms. Saunders taught me in Form One when we had drama with her. I suppose I did well. I know for sure that the audience was entertained with the message as my contribution.

    A girl in the group got a drum borrowed for us to do the group after my part. One of the things that I mad to make sure of was that my improvised part had to end with the word "FREEDOM" as a cue word for the group to come in for the dance. There was an old mop stick that mommy gave me to carry. It worked out well for the dance. The sad part was that a recording of the dance was not saved. It was recorded but I'm not sure who might have a copy of it.

    When I returned to my seat, the lady sitting behind my row said he liked my speech. I guess it was from the question, “Do you like my outfit?” I guess this is why everyone was laughing to the top of their voices the most. But I like it better where you communicate with the audience instead of speaking too much about the history in full. 

    I could remember as I just finished changing into costume and waiting for the five girls in my group to come out of the restroom, my friend Natasha held me had my shoulder. She looked scared at first like she was being chased by a car. She then told me that I gave her a big scare with my hat and torn up clothes. We both laughed it out and we walked over to class.

Link(s):

1. Group photographs after the class presentation.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

General Musicianship 1 (2nd) Assessment

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 17th September, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 8th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This morning was my second coursework examination for General Musicianship and it was fine. Only I signed up to go first because I was last for the exam last time. The only thing was that I know I disadvantaged myself from getting first was that I had to sing a scale in SOLFEG which I was not ready for but I sang the song scale correctly. I was asked to sing the harmonic minor scale but exiting the room afterwards, I realised I sang the whole tone one instead.

    In the theory aspect, there was a big trick waiting for me in the last question of the paper. I had no idea how to do the first part. 

(Update) 

    Did not really see that it was C harmonic minor in the 'a' part of question 13. Couldn't believe I forgot to write my name and identification number on the paper too. There were some other words from Mrs. Neaves on the day that she returned the paper for us:

• Simplicity is always best.
• Every scale has a key.
• Language says and tells a lot. 
• If you're a musician, you need to read and describe.

 

Link(s):

1. General Musicianship 1 (2nd) Assessment - Exam Paper.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Caribbean Lab Lecture - Kwynn Johnson

Date for Entry: (Unknown/Forgotten)

[Friday November, 2015]

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Friday 10th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today during my Caribbean Lab class, we had a guest lecturer for the full three hours by Ms. Kwynn Johnson to present something from the field of visual arts. In the same process, she gave out some books from an art exhibition that she curated in France. I was so fascinated by the way the people took scraps and build their own sheds, while some did the same to make their own Art Studios. This gave me an inspiration ad message to never quit my paintings.

Link(s):

1. "How the Lights Enter" Book.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Caribbean Lab Presentations (No. 2) - Andre Dillion

 Date for Entry: (Friday 30th October, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 7th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I was able to finish three-quarters of Section B in the Grade 2 Study Guide. I couldn’t finish the entire document because I had to go to Class down in "the big UWI" down at CLL for Caribbean Lab. 

    I took my poetry folder to do some sonnet writing while I waited for some of the presentations to finish and to help me pass the time. This afternoon my group (number seven) had to do a presentation as well. The other members chose to present on someone named Andre Dillion. 

    I was extremely grateful that I was not called on to speak or answer a question. Somehow in the class, it made me feel like I was always put on the spot and it would lay with my words to mess me up. A short interview was done with the individual by another group member and we had a sheet created with the questions asked and answers provided to us.

Link(s):

1. Interview questions and answers - Andre Dillion.

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Quest to Grade 2 Handbook

 Date for Entry: (Thursday 29th October 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 7th September 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today I got up early-ish and began to gather topics from my ABRSM and Trinity Booklets as content for a Grade 2 Study Guide. This time I made it easier for myself by using a whiteboard I hadn’t used since CXC. There was a question about completing the square on it. It was a topic I liked but would always get wrong. Thank God, I passed my Maths, lolz. 

    I coloured the written areas with a whiteboard marker to get the stained ink out and then passed a wet napkin over the surface. It was long but fun to do. The only music topic that produced difficulty was finding a place for intervals. I know that it is the same thing as Grade 1 and questioned if it was really necessary. This book was completed later over the weekend. No idea about printing was done.

 **Unfortunately, this project was discontinued and late discarded.**

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Revised Grade 1 Book

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 27th October, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Tuesday 7th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    This morning I hurried down to Isa again to make another copy of the Grade 1 Study Guide from my flash drive. This time the MLA was incomplete because I didn’t bother to follow the rules involving spacing. The printing machine took longer this time. 

    I couldn’t wait for Isa to return to the store because I had to get to class. Dad couldn’t believe me when I left a copy there and looking through the book as we waited, he said, “Buh Dar, you are nuh ah teacha.” I know I was not one because I’m not certified and I have no experience but I hope to one day. It did not matter to me it was not a teacher. I knew how to put the book together and so I did.

    Onward from there, we had to go to the Stationary store at the back of Massy’s to get the other document bound. The other place didn’t punch the paper properly. Then when I reached school and sat down, Ms Neaves told me that she got my text on her phone for being late. But then she said, “You picked a good day to be late.” Apparently, some of the class members from another performance group went on a field trip. 

    At the end of class, I left the book with Mrs. Neaves. I had asked her if she can take a look through it for me until the next Tuesday, just in case she thought that I can add something or change it in a way to suit.

    I rush myself home because none of the group members in my English class had submitted our second credit assignment to Ms. Jesshop for marking and the time had already come to pass the deadline. Many others were in the same situation.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

The Last of Classes with Mr. Nurse

 Date for Entry: (Wednesday 21st October, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 8th September, 2021)

 

Dear Diary,

    Today in Pan Lessons with Mr. Sharma and intermediate ensemble was better. With Mr. Sharma, he took me to the outside office passed the Pan Theatre and showed me a sheet of paper hanging from the door. It was for the registration of the final exam, where “I would be in front of a jury just like in the audition” and had to play the two-piece we were working on for the whole semester.

   We went back to Practice Room 4 for our classes and then when he asked me how classes were going I told him about the Group work for Caribbean Lab and how stressful it really is. He told me that “in groups, there might be either one or two people who don’t do their part and then you would have to tell them to do it.”

    We went on to the two pieces for the jury which was “With a wink and a smile” and “My cool tune”. I "didn’t do so bad," he said but to me I did. I wanted to get it out perfect since it was his song. The one Dr. Remy did was “My Cool Tune” and while some of the rhythms were challenging for me I was glad to work out some. This I got out from the one and a half practice in front of the computer with the pan after I came home at eleven o’clock in the night from my Caribbean Lab Group Practice.

    For Intermediate Pan Ensemble, Mr Nurse came a bit late and the majority of the class wasn’t there. He then told us that he would be leaving the school soon because he has to "work full time at [his] business". He then told us that sometimes “when we have a problem, there is always something good to come out of it.” This class when well except for the “Perpetuum Mobile”. I didn’t practice so well but the “Oye Mi Canto” I managed to finish out through the end, thank God. 

 

Daryl Zion M. Ali

General Musicianship 1 - Assessment #1

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 13th October, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 6th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today was my first coursework exam for General Musicianship and I was extremely happy but nervous on the side because I had to sing a piece of music on the spot using SOLFEG. I was going to be the last one since Ms. Neaves was going with surnames from Z-A. 

    Before miss began, I gave her a copy of the National Anthem I made on Sunday which was arranged for Voice in Acapella. I also gave her separate parts of the song in case anyone wanted to get it to practice.

    My parts for the performance aspect of the exam was kind of easy but I panicked in the sight-singing piece. I was given a piece in G Major and it was not so easy but I remembered Mr. Sharma told me, “In performing from sight-reading, we want to see that you can play a piece and don’t stop even if you made a little mistake.” So, I just sang to the direction (contour) of the music notation and add in the SOLFEG. I hope it was correct. 

    Once this exercise was completed, I was asked to call everyone inside from the corridor for us to do the written aspect of the exam. Mrs. Neaves had to play excerpts on the piano and we had to answer based on it. Some of the things involved music notation, naming scale types and others. 

Link(s):

1. General Musicianship 1 (1st) Assessment - Exam Paper.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

DECISION PENDING - UWI (DCFA) Vs. Hillview College??

Date for Entry: (Wednesday 7th October, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 6th September, 2021)

 

Dear Diary,

    Today I had a very important decision to make. It was to either go to my tiring and usual painful day of class (individual pan and then Intermediate ensemble) at DCFA or I can go and enjoy my once in lifetime Graduation at Hillview College. 

    My decision was to go to class because I didn’t want to lose any Lessons with Mr. Sharma and be forced to have to do a makeup session. Then there was an intermediate ensemble and if there was a new piece or n special teaching or review on another I would miss out a lot. 

    I suppose it was best because I got to learn another part of the hard song “Oye Mi Canto” Mr. Nurse gave us and there was a new piece given that day as well. The name of that piece was “Perpetuum Pan” together with “Paradise Garden” for our coursework assessment coming soon. This sounds a lot difficult but I know I can do it. I hope!

    Pan Lessons earlier this morning when smoothly with Mr. Sharma. He told me that he got the name of the first piece “With a Wink and A smile” after the piece and it was something for two pans because of the word invention. There was another Musical term he told me about but I forgot. It had a piece of ‘ word with inventing’ in it.

    During the Lesson, I got out all of my scales, thank God. The arpeggios were to be played in triplets, which I needed some more practice in. Then we moved on to my second piece of the Grade 4 Pan Examination Booklet. It was called “Invention No. 8” which was another one that Mr. Sharma did. I always had a battle in choosing which pieces to select because he and Dr. Remy always had good music in the book so I decided to make it fair where I did one he put together along with another by Dr. Remy.

Links:

1. DCFA Steelpan Exam Book - Grade 3 Tenor (2012-2014).              (School's permission for sharing not granted.)
2. Hillview College's Letters & Invitation Card to Graduation.
3. Perpetuum Pan (Tenor Score).

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Wheel of Fifths & Fourths ("Presentation")

 Date for Entry: (Tuesday 29th September, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 6th September, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Last night I prepared a large wheel to create the circle of fifths and fourths that can show the relative keys between major and minor. I had assistance from the Trinity Guildhall book and some other ideas I had in class to show the Key Signature of each scale in both the treble and bass staves. 

    When I got in class, I told everyone good morning before taking my seat (in the front row as usual near the door's side of the room) and then raised my hands and told miss I had extra homework to show her. She watched me from behind the piano but came up to me and I took the wheel of the plastic Massy's bag I carried it in. I passed it to my friend (Monick; correctly spelt Monique) right next to me and she passed it on. My friend Adam told me by whisper "that looks really nice."

    As soon as class began, miss took down the Projector screen again and turned off the lights.  I had the full score I wanted to sing from but apparently, Mrs. Neaves had forgotten her score so she asked me if she could borrow mine. I gave her my full score to put on the projector and I decided to open the previous copy with all of the errors I inserted into my workbook for the class.

     During break time,  I hurried back to see if Mrs. Neaves was still in class. I shared with her and some of the class members a viewing of my Musical Journal in the large two-inch binder folder that it was in from the beginning (this was from Page 1 – 157). There were a few pages that I left home because I had run out of page protectors. That day was supposed to be my store to the stationery store to have the book fragments spiral bound.

    She had to skip through some pages because I knew it was hard to get a full reading of some. During the middle of the book, she said, “Wow Daryl! This is great. Don’t ever let anyone turn you down....you were meant for greater things in life.” That just made me feel happy and burst out a wide smile. In the end, she gave me back the Book and said, “This is Gold. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

    I went back to my seat and the rest of the class was already back inside. Then she finished a few sentences and called me up to the front of the class. I knew that she told me that she wanted to use it in class earlier on. So then I went ahead and told the class all about it with the easier way to remember the pan. They all watched it in silence and wondered if it was like a hidden message in a poem. I was literally scared if they were not liking it. Then a boy at the back asked if he could get a picture but then Mrs. Neaves said, “Doh ask me. Is the work.” So then he asked me and I said, “Sure.”

    Then Ms. Neaves came back to the front of the class from behind the piano. She said that I can make so much money for it and any teacher could pay me big for it. Then she pokes me about not allowing anyone to bully me for this. And this is where the Class lecture had turned from Musicianship to Bulling. Here are some of the things we spoke about:

    At the end of class, another person came to take a picture of the wheel I made. I asked him to WhatsApp it to me. Then a girl had asked me if I can play the Anthem for her so I gave her my scrap notebook to write down her name and phone number and also what part of the National Anthem she wanted to have. Then another boy asked me for it too. I made sure that by the end of the evening it was sent to them.

Link(s):

1. DCFA Steelpan Exam Book - Grade 4 Tenor (**-***)
2. DCFA Steelpan Exam Book - Grade 4 Tenor (**-***) Receipt & Student Contact.

Daryl Zion M. Ali

Music Class CANCELLED

Date for Entry: (Saturday 26th September, 2015)

Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 7th July, 2021)

Dear Diary,

    Today in the Afternoon was my Youth Group Meeting at the Morton House in the Church Compound. The sad thing was that last Saturday I was supposed to teach the Group a piece on the Pan and to also prepare a song or two for Reverend Adrian at his Farewell party.

    On walking to meeting with my Pan and other musical stuff, Ria told me loudly as I walked up to them that the Church was locked. My face was firing hot inside as I couldn’t believe this but I just sit down and evaporated this whole bad feeling from my mind within.

    While the meeting was over Ria had asked me, “Dars? Was there anything you had planned to teach us any music or something on the pan today?” I said yes and went through some fun rhythmic reading with them.

    I was glad that Ms. Saunders was in school helped them with a slight foundation to understand music. A few of them clapped it out. I know that Music is not their principal subject but I’m hoping that they can take an interest in this and make the Board and Church proud. 

(Update) 

    I was not surprised the next Saturday before I could realise that they were not serious about having the Youth Steelband but chose to waste time and not tell me anything. I was hoping that we would have been able to use the steelpans in the church that were there alone in the corner. It was since 2013 I was waiting for this so I went home and tried to move my mind away from this. 

    Over the years of my UWI certificate and degree, I choose to leave that alone and stay with the Sunday. If the Youth Group should ever become serious about the steelpan then I will step in and assist however I can.

    The same flashcards that I had made hoping to use with the Youth Group in our practice times were thrown away. I was too angered and it had reminded me of what happened that day. All twenty-seven of them are gone. So this will result in n photographs of them for this journal entry. The book I made for the group was not deleted but still saved for the journal.

Link(s):

1.  Aramalaya Presbyterian Youth Group Steelpan Book.

Daryl Zion M. Ali