The literature of this "portfolio" is a combination of music journal entries and DAPHA Projects journals done by Daryl Ali.
It is a digital account of his life experiences, works of many and accomplishments.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 14th June, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today I went to Blue Edition to purchase my very first
Grade 5 Theory in the Practice book. When I went to look for it, I was surprised
that there weren’t any. So I decided to buy the older version and cherish it since they don’t make that older version in that fabulous fashion anymore.
I got a Grade 6 “Graded Examinations in Solo Steelpan Performances” book along
with a Grade 5 Music Theory Model Answers Booklet. I heard how lovely the song “Waltz for Pain and Pan” sounded when my Steel
Ensemble Captain in School played it.
I really wanted to get that book to learn the piece just for the sake of having a copy of the score and the whole book. This is a book too that will become rare as time passes along. You may not see copies of it again.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 13th June, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today was the first day for N.C.S.E. Practical Exams. Today
was music practical and I had chosen to play the E Flat Major Scale (Eb), when Miss Sanders begged me not to play something easy. The moment she said that I understood other things apart from that desperate request. That scale was the first requirement.
The second requirement was to perform a piece of music on an
instrument. For me, I had written a composition along with pieces of music
where no one would ever look for. The title was called “Miss Saunders' Goodbye
Song” because this was the last time I would ever have a music assignment in
Hillview to do again. With that thirty percent multiple-choice quiz that was IT for music classes in Hillview for me. They don't do Music beyond Form 3.
Within the music, there was a part that I had to sing. This piece also involved chromatic scales and Calypscales
(Tonic Triads in the form of a calypso rhythm and melody) from the Graded Steelpan examinations at the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA). I had five students holding my music sheets and another keeping the beat. But some of them who
didn’t know music got caught up in conversation and the metronome keeper lost
it so he eventually stopped. THANKS FOR THE HELP STILL!
At the end of the performance, I had to answer some "viva voce" questions (as I've earned from pan exams) based on the score I composed. All the answers were easy and with one, a short
lie was given and thank God it was correct. As Miss Saunders was leaving the
stage, I gave her a copy of the score and also my pan sticks, because I wanted
her to get her dad “Mr. Nervin Saunders” to sign them for me.
As my friends and I walked back to class, the Social
Studies teacher was already taking up our coursework assignments.
Fortunately, when it was time to take mine, she saw that it was printed out and
she showed the class it saying that she wanted it documented tidy and not a torn-out
page with scrappy handwriting. I felt ashamed. Then she said, "I promised to give you the marks yuh deserve."
By the time the Physical education class began, the teacher
took the class up on the Hill for our Physical Education Practicals for
N.C.S.E. The choices were to do either discuss, Javelin or Shot-put. I chose to discuss. However, while staying up on the bleedy computer the whole night trying to
learn the techniques for throwing it, the man didn’t want it so.
Thank God for
me, I just throw the damn thing and got that over with. After we did a relay group of two. Jesus? My legs felt like they could have broken and run away without me. Make me wonder why we have to do exams like these in the first place. Not me and
this subject again, Nah!
I was also able to grab a copy of the Drama improvisation book when the other boys doing drama was finished using it for the journal. Even the drama too was less interesting.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 13th June, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today I was trying to finish painting a piece I had to do for Miss Tappin during a free period in the sixth and seventh periods of
the evening. She even made us write a Journal entry in our books about the
observations made. I'm glad she said that mine was very well done.
At the end of school, the Steel Ensemble gathered to walk
down to (TIPICA) Pan Yard on El Dorado Road. When we got to the gates, they
were closed and the caretaker had refused to open them for us to come in. The sun
was so hot and we decided to walk back up to school and wait on Miss Richardson. Both Ifeaye and I tried calling her on a cell phone but no answer.
Then this man
came running up to us and allowed us to go in. The reason they didn’t let us
in was that Miss Richardson had to be present for them to open the gate for us.
The caretaker didn’t want to open the gate. Finally, miss had arrived late. Very
late. Then we were allowed to go in.
She got us some
pans we were using in school and then practice continued as usual. We practised some scales and then we ran through Bluesette, Human Nature and 21 Guns. While
practising, I saw mom, dad, the caretaker and the owner watching me in a kind
of stare down way like if I did them something but not in a vexed manner.
Soon
after, the practice was over and so too was the experience. That was a good practice
today somewhat but I enjoyed the feeling of having to do a class rehearsal in a panyard. Maybe we might never make it to Schools' Panorama after all. Unfortunately, no photographs were saved for this particular entry.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 13th June, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today was another day in Form three. Sadly, it was going to
be my final music class in Hillview, only because they don’t do Music Education
in Form 4 & 5. Miss took the first period going through some things she had
taught us during the three years of experience. The other period she gave us a multiple-choice
exam carrying thirty marks. One mark per question.
The exam was EXTREMELY easy because I knew all the answers right
away. A new student was surprised that I got thirty out of thirty, as he
watched miss correct my paper from behind me in the line. He was the same one who had to answer a question
and he got it wrong. He was to answer the name of a music note.
His answer was a manuscript and so everyone burst out laughing. The correct
answer, however, was a Minim/Half-note (see above).
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 13th June, 2021)
Dear Diary,
Today was my sister's birthday and I wish she was
here. By fortunately the Lord had given me some special advice I may not share
with you who are reading this entry right now. It was also World Lupus Day in
Woodford Square. Mom, Andrew and I struggled and strained to carry the pan all the way from
Tunapuna to the Square without any transport.
We had to take a maxi from Tunapuna to City Gate and walk from there all up to Woodford Square. We also had to take turns carrying everything by hand too. Port-of-Spain
had too many people to bounce into. Too many people watched me, mom and
Andrew walking on the roads with the pan as if we had just stolen it. Poor Stanley! Finally,
we reached and then we met the Lovely president of the Voice of Lupus
Foundation.
Before the
function was about to start, mom and I saw Andrew talking to some man looking far away while we went around to the different health stalls. I did my part well in the
National Anthem. But the only thing was that they called me “Daryl Hosein-Ali”
like mom’s name. It sounded strange because I know that I took most of my mom but
that was different.
Travelling back
from the square to City Gate was tough. We even had to rush for a bus but thank
God he sent one in time. We had to wait long and Andrew was already starting to
get angry. I was glad to get back home that night but I loved the Friday evening "stroll" through the capital.
