Ukes and pans

As some of you may know, I help out at an afterschool arts program at my church.  Over the years, I have written grants with the help of my late rector's wife, and obtained enough funding to run three completely free afterschool school music programs in the New Brighton section of Staten Island. Our two reliable funders are the Staten Island Foundation and Episcopal Charities. We have also been the recipients of monetary donations from friends and parishioners who have seen the value of music education for all children.
Living in New York City means that even in the outer boroughs, we are not lacking for musical talent. Besides, some musicians prefer to take the ferry home to a quieter place that is within close commute to Manhattan, but far enough away from its frenzy that raising kids is easier and downtime becomes time spent with family and friends. And  this trend is working for us. 
The founder of our Children's Choir is a professional singer who for many years during her single life sung in Germany and other places in Europe for several opera companies.  When she moved on to take a position in the Music Department of a local college, one known nation-wide for its Musical Theater grads, she left the leadership in the hands of two other parishoners, both of whom are professional singers.  One of whom is the choir director/teacher at LaGuardia H.S for the Preforming Arts,  which the likes of Liz Minelli, Melissa Manchester, Laura Nyro, Janis Ian and Nicki Minaj attended. I think Liza did not finish since she was starring in the Broadway Production of "Flora the Red Menace" for which she won a Tony in 1965. The Choir is wonderful and they sound angelic and look so as well in their red cassocks and white cottas as they harmonize singing semi-traditional choir music.
I, however, get to oversee the quirky and interesting stuff: ukuleles and steel drums.
New this year, our Uke Group is made up of about 8 children from Grades 2 through 5. At the end of last year, we were approached by our major funder asking if we might consider forming a ukulele class for children.  they had a funder who wanted to fund such a group because he, himself, was a uke player.  We immediately responded in the positive. We contacted a parishioner, a professional Jazz guitarist and soloist, and his wife, a dancer and his able handler, to see if they were interested.  They were, especially once we said their two children would be in the group. Musically in the family won the day! Once we ordered the twelve student and one teacher ukulele, we were off and running! The classes have been both enjoyable and challenging.  Much craftsmanship goes into a stringed instrument, and the Uke is unique. Americans think of it as Hawaiian, but its roots go much deeper. It really is a lute-hybrid evolving from the machete, a four stringed instrument played by Portuguese sailors on exploration ships. Our students are progressing nicely and will be performing at our 4pm Christmas Eve Family Eucharist.
But, I must admit, my heart belongs to the Steel Drums, known as "pans" to those in the Caribbean community.
Pan is a relatively new musical genre.  It is native to Trinidad and Tobago where French, British and African culture collide into something close to Afro-Caribbean-Creole. Original Steel Drums were fashioned out of used oil drums in post World War II Trinidad. The very first pitched steel drums were made from small metal containers and were convex in shape. The steel drum is based on mathematical theories of Pythagoras who calculated the formula for the musical cycle of fourths and fifths, Steel Pans are the only instruments made to follow this configuration. In the 1940's and 1950's pan innovators experimented with the stylings or note patterns, and improved upon the tuning.  Today the drum is constructed from the bottom of a 55 gallon barrel, sunk down in a concave fashion, and tuned with precision.  Pans are very sensitive to heat and cold, handling and environment.  They must be handled with care and respect.  The slightest bump can knock them out of tune, so gentle handling is a must.
But once one has heard a pan master play, there is no going back. The sound is glorious beyond belief...it  can takes you on a magical ride of sound and harmony. I have to state that I am ruined beyond belief for those Subway Serenaders whose slightly unbalanced, but woefully out of tune pans are an abomination to the ear...Get Thee Behind Me!
So, if you have the chance to hear real masters of the ukulele or the steel pan, run...do not walk, to that venue and savor your time there.