Date for Entry: (Monday 19 September 2022)
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 5 November 2022)
Dear Diary,
The journal entry below is a compilation of recorded events related to the creation of the steelpan version of St. George's College Song.
CREATION OF STEELBAND ARRANGEMENT.
** Monday 19 September 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #1); Day #1]
Today was my first
day being an OJT trainee at St. George’s College. Daddy and I left the house at
6:45 in the morning and took a bus on the bus route to Barataria. I entered the
compound at exactly 7:25 by security. Coming down the road to the school, I was
worried because I forgot my identification card at home.
The lobby area was
the corridor entering the administrative area and I met two other new persons who
come in that day. We got to see the morning assembly gather around the school.
It was a completely different experience than Hillview’s morning assembly. This
assembly was short and interesting. Many students sang and played different
instruments.
When the assembly was
over, I waited and waited. The boy and girl with me had already met their
supervisors and went on with them. Sometime around 9:32, I met Miss Roberts.
She had come to sign in the office and then took me to rest my bags in the
music room. Upon entering the music room, it was
like heaven. Something I wished Hillview could have had. They made it up like a
classroom, with instruments and a really beautiful piano. I was not sure if
they had a steelband.
We had to leave the
music room because there was a function to start in the
hall soon and Miss Roberts had to wait with the students who had to perform.
The national anthem was done, and a vocal piece was done by two girls at the
end. The college song was also performed at the end of that function. I stood
from the chairs they gave us and waited extremely patiently to hear what it
would sound like.
When it was over, I
was amazed. I liked the melody a lot. I knew it was a different school
altogether but the song comforted me. I began to wonder if there was a score
for it. Unfortunately, just like Hillview and Vessigny, Miss Roberts told me
that the school did not have the melody notated.
On the other hand,
Miss Roberts did manage to show me from her computer what she had “tried to
write it out” over the summer vacation for the COVID-19 period. I went quickly
to see what she did and I was happy because it was a good start to having
something on paper. We had some technical difficulties when the computer
spoiled the work she did.
I decided to mentally
plan over the entire college song as if it was to be a steelpan arrangement
because it would be easy to write it out when I got back home. All day I thought
of the rhythmic structure for the middle and back of the frontline pans.
I told Miss Roberts
that I would not disturb the notation that she worked so hard to do. I wanted
to do my version before I ended up spoiling what she did. Some minutes after half-eight
that night, I was able to complete the entire arrangement. A lot of gladness
came to me. Miss Roberts messaged me back and she said that it was good enough
for the steelband to use.
Link(s):
- College Song Recording. ** [For Request by Email.]
ASSISTANCE, PLEASE.
** Tuesday 20 September 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #1); Day #2]
On my way out of the school’s compound, I saw
Miss Ramsaran and asked her for help in finding the name of the St. George’s
College Song, the name of the person(s) that composed the lyrics, and the name
of the person(s) that composed the melody. I hope that within time Mr Sammy or
someone might be able to tell us what the 3 answers are. I’m glad and grateful
that Mrs Sookdeo was approving of what I had done as the steelpan version of
their college song.
THE STUDENTS' HANDBOOK.
** Wednesday 21 September 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #1); Day #3]
While I was working at my desk in the staffroom,
I met Miss Ramsaran as she spoke to me from the side of my desk and she said
that she was waiting for something for me on the college song. Some time had
gone by and she returned by the desk to hand me a book. It was fascinating
looking through the book. I admired how detailed and well done-it was made. I
had some cherished chats with my neighbouring desk persons.
Heading up home in the car onto Green Street, the
rain finally broke out. I got to finish inserting the names of the persons
responsible for the St. George’s college song. It appeared to be surnames in my
view as Bailey & Campbell. The book did not mention a name for the song
itself so I decided I would call it “Onto Victory” as it’s a temporary title or until someone alive
can state otherwise. I also took their logo and crest from the school’s website
to make it a part of the score for decoration.
Link(s):
- St. George’s Student’s Guide. **
- Full Journal Entry: (Week 1) – Day #3.
SCORE VIDEO GUIDANCE.
** Friday 23 September 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #1); Day #5]
I went to the office and asked about the
procedure for requesting photocopies for when I might need some in the classes
further on. The details sounded like a lot of run-around so I didn’t want to
try it again. Dr Sookdeo walked out of her office and met me before leaving the
compound and we had a really nice conversation. I had gotten her permission to
create a video of the St. George’s college song just like Hillview’s College
song once I had let Miss Roberts verify the music that I did.
Link(s):
- Hillview College’s School Song.
STRUMMING AMENDMENTS.
** Monday 17 October 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #7); Day #26]
I went back to the office and sat in
the classroom next door for the majority of the day working on the steelpan
version of St. George’s College. I changed the strumming in the introduction.
All the pans for verses one and two carried the same rhythmic pattern.
At first, I thought that it was not a
good gamble. I told myself that even though it worked in Tunapuna Secondary
School’s Song this one might have had a different outcome. There was a lot of
playing around with the introduction until I finally got something that worked.
My only insecurity was the effectiveness of the bassline. Towards the end of
this exercise, the score became version four.
VERSE TWO'S CORRECTION.
** Monday 31st October 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #7); Day #25]
Today was the first working day for St. George’s
College at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) campus in Valsayn.
In the last thirty minutes before school finished, I got my way back to Block K
to work on the melody for the college song. The ‘children’ in the staffroom
were noisy as usual. Miss Roberts and I tried really hard to listen to the
video with the children in the video singing the St. George’s College song. The
second verse had a change in only one measure. I was glad that the review went
by in that short space of time.
INTRODUCTION STRUMMING PATTERNS.
** Tuesday 1st November 2022. **
[St. George's (Week #7); Day #26]
Today the school had home
periods for periods one and two. I was supposed to have 1 Mitchell for those two
periods.
I went back to the office and worked at George’s College. I changed the strumming in the introduction. All the pans for
verses one and two carried the same rhythmic pattern.
At first, I thought
that it was not a good gamble. I told myself that even though it worked in
Tunapuna Secondary School’s Song this one might have had a different outcome.
There was a lot of playing around with the introduction until I finally got
something that worked. My only insecurity was the effectiveness of the
bassline. Towards the end of this exercise, the score became version four.
By the middle of lunch, I was able to complete typing out the end-of-term exam for the form ones. I did not mind that the room was hot. However, a lot of sleep was being fought. Did not know why that was happening. Last night I stood up after getting the zeal and two more questions to make up the comprehension section. I had lunch afterwards. The exam paper was reviewed by Miss Roberts and it was ready for class. I just have to figure out how to do copies at school.
MASTER SCORE – SHORT VERSION.
** Saturday 12 November 2022.
**
Today I tried to create more space on the full
score (double tenors and double seconds now share the same staff). At first, I
had nicknamed it ‘short version’ but the Musescore programme was able to play
the full steelpan arrangement.
I took that particular file as the one to
represent St. George’s College anthem. I also took the St. George’s Logo I could
finally get from Thursday evening and added it to the Musescore file. All these
changes made the song become the fourth version.
COLLEGE SONG BOOKLETS.
** Friday 18th November 2022. **
[St. George's (Week 9); Day #39]
This evening the booklets with copies of all the steelpan
parts were created and compiled into a book. They were spiral bound. I still
yet have to wait for Dr Sookdeo to approve the ‘experimental’ video before it
was sent off to YouTube. On Monday 21st of the following week, this book was
only shown to one teacher before a warning was sent to me. I had the books packed
up and returned them to the plastic bag. This remained on the desk for another
three weeks.
Link(s):
SCORE VIDEO 1ST ATTEMPT.
** Wednesday 23 November 2022
**
[St. George's (Week 10); Day #42]
On this morning, a message was sent to Dr.
Sookdeo for approval on a score video of the St. George’s College Song. It is one
minute and twenty-one seconds in duration. I still await feedback. I hope that
it works. There were not many good images on the internet of the front of the
school. I found a beautifully captured image of the school’s hall from the quadrangle.
The video felt like more was missing. I just wished that more of the history
was available.
SCORE VIDEO 2ND ATTEMPT.
** Monday 5 December 2022
**
[St. George's (Week 12); Day #49]
The second video attempt was created on this day
and it replaced the first attempt. The duration remained the same. To this date, there
was no approval or responses given on the first attempt. I feel as if I may
just have to go ahead without Dr Sookdeo’s approval and send the video online. Somehow
things are moving strangely around the area. More curious than in the first week. I hope nothing bad happens.
THE LAST THREAD.
** Wednesday 7 December 2022
**
[St. George's (Week 12); Day #51]
Today was the deadline for online marks for the
term. I had a bitter conversation with Miss Roberts over the phone from the
office at my desk on Monday. I understood and listened. I did not continue because
my heart was ‘stabbed’ on that day.
Today Miss ‘Rough-Tops’ was out again and she attacked me at the gates for a second time. In the quick moments going into the eighth period, I shouted out my dissatisfaction in the echoing corridor at the message from someone on the song. I don’t think this piece will be continuing. As of now, it will be put to rest. The entire next day presented an episode against me that was not pleasing.
YOUTUBE
VIDEO.
** Tuesday 3rd January 2023
**
[ St. George’s College (WEEK 14)– Day #55 [1/1] ]
Today
was the start of the new school term. As soon as I got home, I went right ahead
and uploaded the St. George’s College song video. Before I could even do that,
I had to do over a recording of the Musescore file playing out the song. The
experimental version had difficulty. Thankfully, this did not take me more than
ten minutes to do and the uploading.
Looking
back at the video, I felt satisfied that the song came out well but I did not
like having to wait and be stalled for a week. I still hope that this recording
would be useful to teach the students the song. This too was also a DAPHA Project.
Link(s):
- YouTube Video.
x
Daryl Zion M. Ali
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