MATRIARCHS IN THE
PAN WORLD
Trinidad Guardian
January 1, 2000
Page 13
The
first woman to arrange a Panorama tune for a steelband, Merle Albino-De Coteau, has
been acclaimed by such organizations as the Pan Ramajay Committee, Pan Trinbago,
the Sunshine Awards in New York and the Brooklyn Academy for her noteworthy
contributions to steelpan music and music as a whole.
Holding
a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from McGill University and Licentiate of the
Trinity College of London, Albino-De Coteau currently teaches a certificate
course in Music (Pan) at the Creative Arts Centre at UWI. In her classes, female students outnumber
the males.
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Alma Pierre's childhood years on the piano prepared her well for a vibrant career in
the interpretation, conduction and adjudication of music.
Graduate
of the University of Toronto and Licentiate of the London Trinity College of
Music, Alma Pierre has provided technical advice in the classical music and
test pieces of the Merritones Steel Orchestra from the 80s to 1992. Since then, she has taught piano and voice
at eh School of Music in St Lucia in 1993 and has conducted courses in playing
the steelpan for adults and children in Trinidad.
A
common face in the adjudicator's box at both School and Adult Panorama, Pierre
has also excelled as a choral trainer and conductress, serving as musical
director of the Lydian Singers for several years.
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Pioneer
Gwenette Armstrong
introduced music as a subject in Tobago schools in 1969.
Dedicated to developing the musical abilities of youths, Armstrong
has been actively involved in the instruction of teenage pannists. She has worked with Trintoc Tobago All Stars
for years. London-educated Gwenette
Armstrong also initiated pan with recorder accompaniment into secondary schools.
She
is esteemed as an Honorary Fellow at Trinity College of Music in London. An adjudicator of panorama in the 70s,
Armstrong is now the principal of Bishop's, Tobago.
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Educator,
Dr. Ann Marion Osbourne,
was the first citizen of T&T to be elected to the Association of the Royal
Academy of Music. Another patriotic
first: in 1988, she received a PhD in Music Education.
She now coordinates the music program at the Creative Arts Centre,
UWI. She has also been instrumental
in the design of traded examination in solo steelpan.
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Pat Bishop, recipient of the Trinity Cross (T&T's highest award) has many impressive
credits to her name. Educated at King's
College, Durham, England, Bishop received a BA in Fine Arts and later an MA
in history. Music is "only a
hobby" stresses the virtuoso Bishop who recently took to painting miniatures
in acrylic. Now retires, Bishop still directs the Lydian singers.
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In
the 40s and 50s, when no woman would dare touch a steelpan, Joslyn Pierre
boldly sounded her tenor pan. A
former member of Invaders, Pierre became a member of Girlspat, the first women's
steel orchestra in the world.
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Esther Batson, once a member of Panberry, teaches and is a musicologist with Pan Trinbago.
Esther's musical talents have passed on: her daughter, Dawn Batson,
is a conductor.
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Like
their male counterparts these women have given long hours of service, bringing
recognition and respect to this country's most esteemed musical instrument,
whether in the capacity of arranger, adjudicator, technical advisor or pan player. These are the matriarchs of steelpan.