Youth Steel Pan International Workshop

The Humboldt Youth Steel Pan collective is calling upon our network of family and friends to help co-create a transformative opportunity for our community. Internationally acclaimed Trinidadian Steel Pan Master Liam Teague will be playing at Cal Poly Humboldt on April 23.

Jesse Jonathon, an active alumnus and current member of Humboldt’s Calypso band, has arranged for his steel pan students from AHS, Blue Lake and Trinidad Elementary schools to participate in a youth steel pan workshop led by Liam Teague.

This year, the high school branch of this program has been a 100% volunteer effort, fueled primarily by Jesse’s love of music and dedicated support to his continuing students. Jesse has been able to rally the instruments, space and time to conduct the program. To offer this inspiring workshop opportunity, these young musicians need your support.

The first $1000 raised will cover the entire cost of the workshop, allowing all students the ability to participate free of charge. Many alumni of the Humboldt Calypso band site workshops with master musicians as one of the pivotal moments in their lives. Dr. Eugene Novotney, leader of the Humboldt band, frequently tells the story of meeting Clifford Alexis at a workshop when Novotney was just 18 years old. This experience sparked his passion for becoming a master steel pan player himself. Dr. Novotney’s career as a music professor and performer has awakened an expansive steel pan community that continues to bring joy and healing into the lives of thousands of people, including several of Humboldt’s youngest musicians. The Liam Teague youth workshop could be a defining moment for this next generation of musicians.

Additional funds raised will allow the youth bands to perform at the 5th annual Humboldt Steel Pan Festival on May 8. This year’s festival will be held on the Arcata plaza as a true community offering and celebration of the re-emergence of music in this new post pandemic world. Transporting all instruments safely to and from the performance will require a van rental. We also anticipate upfront publicity fees. In addition, Mallets need to be replaced regularly, and the pans require professional tuning.

You can view excerpts of the Humboldt Youth Steel Pan program’s most recent performance at the Arcata Playhouse last December. The professionally shot footage was again a volunteer effort led by David Ferney and Andrew Jones. We are grateful for this incredible documentation of what is possible when children are given the support and opportunity to find their voices. As an attendee at the show, I witnessed many audience members shed tears of joy and healing as these young people reminded us we can still create light, love and harmony in this fragile world of ours.

As you can see from the last clip, the number of instruments is quite expansive, yet there is a growing need at each school site. Each steel pan cost upward of 1500 dollars. Maintaining the instruments requires hiring an out of area professional tuner, which incurs significant costs. It’s been quite an extraordinary alignment of resources and energy to build the program that currently serves Blue Lake, Trinidad and Arcata High School students.

History of Blue Dragon Youth Program:

Many of the students featured in the last video began their drumming careers at the summer Drum camp program. Each summer Jesse Jonathon offers 3 week-long full day programs where new students can learn the fundamentals of rhythm and ensemble skills on hand drums, xylophones, and steel pans. Returning students are offered the opportunity to expand their knowledge with more advanced parts, while advanced high school students are invited to participate as teaching assistants.

A small group of dedicated community members is beginning to form a booster club to help sustain the program. If you are interested in volunteering in our fundraising efforts or volunteering at events, please fill out this google form for future invitations. We are currently seeking volunteers for the 5th annual Humboldt Steel Pan Fest on May 8 on the Arcata plaza.

About the Organizers of this GoFund Me:

Therese and Tommy FitzMaurice currently teach at Jacoby Creek School. Both of their children, Thomas (13) and Cadence (10) have participated in the summer drum camp, the Blue Dragons and now AHS steel pan club since 2014. Their son, Thomas is a featured tenor soloist in the Playhouse show.

As career educators, the Fitzmaurice’s both highly value the personal development that this steel pan program has offered their children. In a previous letter of support, Therese wrote, “As an educator of twenty years, the after school program is one of the most effective educational environments I’ve witnessed. The multi-age structure, active learning and embedded differentiation allows youth of any age and ability to participate, grow and become creative leaders. As a community member, when their group performs, I have witnessed incredible joy and hope emerge. One year, they played at a holiday craft fair. As individuals reached the end of the aisle where the band was playing, countless people exclaimed, I can’t believe they’re kids! And like magic, their music continues to awaken a sense of embodied harmony reminding us how much beauty one community can create.”

Jesse Jonathon teaches music at Trinidad and Blue Lake schools. He offers two days of after school enrichment at both of these sites as well as a weekly steel pan club at Arcata High school. All three of these programs are offered to students free of charge. Jesse graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Music in 2008. He continues to be an active member of the Humboldt Calypso band. He is the founder of the Humboldt Youth Steel pan program and the Humboldt Drum Camp.

Additional support provided by Andrew Jones, board member of Blue Lake Education Foundation and parent of two calypso students. The Blue Lake Education Foundation supports arts, music and athletics at Blue Lake School.