Fixing the Glitch
Written by Ted Goslin
Picture this: you arrive to an upscale venue for a corporate event. There is an in-door area with tables for dinner, but you are asked to play outside. It’s day time, the sun is shining brightly with moderate heat and you are in a tight space performing for cocktail hour. But there’s something missing: shade. You’re exposed and have no one to blame but yourself. Now what?
We all have brain farts now and again and forget an important requirement for a gig. The key is first not to blame yourself for the mistake. The level of the error can play to your favor in this case. It’s not like you forgot your stand and have to play on the ground! Get past it quickly and figure out your options because the client is waiting.
First, assess the layout of the venue. Are you in a corner? If so, which corner? Can you move to a different spot? Consider asking the host for an alternate spot to set up in that has a little shade. If the client won’t let you move, explain the situation, apologize for not informing them during the initial discussion and see if they can provide some sort of shade. Depending on the venue, this may be possible as most hotels and wedding halls have umbrellas or EZ Ups to loan. However, if you’re on the beach or in a remote area, you might be out of luck. As a precaution, always bring a cover of some sort, whether it be an EZ Up pop-up tent or a Pan cover. Even a towel will suffice, so long as there is some protection, otherwise you’ll likely end up out of tune and out of work, instead of passing out those cards and meeting potential future clients.
The best solution, however, is to prevent this in the first place with good planning. If you don’t already have one, make a pre-gig checklist. Use this when setting up the gig with the client. It should include things like pricing options, set list, instrumentation, attire and logistics, including power source location and (surprise!) shade.
Remember, you’re the last line of defense between having a successful gig and losing out on that client and a whole crowd of potentials forever. Take the time to properly prepare and protect yourself and nightmares like these will become a distant memory.
Written by Ted Goslin
Northern Illinois University (NIU) alumna Mia Gormandy has been named as the 2014 recipient of the Howard Mayor Brown Fellowship. The award is given to promising minority graduate students pursuing a doctoral degree in music, according to the press release.
The Steel Pan Collective, a new membership-driven organization for the U.S. Steelpan community, has officially launched as of this past June. The group was established to provide an outlet to Pan players which is centered around its core ideas to learn, connect and perform, according to its website. Membership is $60 annually and includes a host of members-only privileges, including the Engine Room blog, a calendar of events for members to post on, a member directory, the SPC Music Festival and Conference where members can perform and connect with other members, educators and vendors, a monthly newsletter, classifieds to help players find gigs, and an online forum to connect with other members. “We recognized that members of the U.S. steel pan community were kind of spread out. Communication between everyone was/is sporadic and intermittent at best. Everybody seems to be doing their own thing – which is fine I suppose. But we thought to raise the overall exposure of steel pan in the U.S., we needed to do something different,” said Waugh. “We wanted to come up with ways to share info and resources as a whole. Our desire was to tap into those pockets of knowledge. We believe the Steel Pan Collective can be an organization that facilitates networking, discussions, promotion, education, and camaraderie. We wanted to have an organization that all players, educators, and enthusiasts could join and share their passion for Pan.”
This year’s New York Panorama Competition will feature defending champions, CASYM Steel Orchestra, led by arranger, Duvone Stewart. The premier event will feature 11 bands and will take place on Saturday, August 30th at 8pm at the Brooklyn Museum Grounds, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
The 2014 New York Panorama is in the books and the D’Radoes have walked away with the ultimate prize. The winners list is as follows:
Steelpan virtuoso Liam Teague, who is the head of steelpan studies and an associate professor of music at Northern Illinois University, has written a study book for beginning Pan players called, “Steelpan Method.” The 
The 2015 NAMM Show (National Association of Music Merchants) kicked off with a large number of exhibitors, educational seminars and performances to start the new year. The four-day conference will feature a number of famed musical acts either, both performing and presenting, including George Clinton, Bernie Williams and Howard Johnson, among others.
Large Band Results
