Pan to the World

The similarities between Tracey Amanda and Barry Mannette are in complete harmony, despite the fact that they live in different countries. She lives in Canada; he lives in Trinidad and Tobago. They both share an affinity for the steelpan as though it is their birthright. And in a way it is, as they followed in the footsteps of their parents. Tracey comes from a musical family and credits her mother, who runs a music studio from their home, and her church in Markham, Ontario, for introducing her to pan. A multi-hyphenate musician with music degrees from Western University and Fanshawe College, she started teaching the instrument in high school. Barry is the son of Vernon ‘Birdie’ Mannette and nephew of Ellie Mannette, both pan pioneers who contributed to the instrument’s development and founded top-rated steelpan orchestras. He returned to the island to teach after completing his masters in music at Northern Illinois University and now runs the Mannette Steelpan Academy.

The “new normal” during the pandemic has meant that they are now teaching full time through the online platforms Zoom and Skype. EDF founder, Simone Dalton, sat down with Tracey and Barry for a virtual chat on how they are managing the transition, including the unexpected perks.

Please note: The interviews, which were conducted with each musician separately via Zoom, have been edited for length and clarity.

On Teaching

Tracey:

My approach to teaching extends beyond just the music. It’s more like a life lesson. I tell all of my students that you may not be able to see how this connects to different parts of your life, but these disciplines that you’re learning — how to read music, especially if you can play different instruments — are transferable skills to other parts of your life depending on your career path. I want them to see the value of learning music, enough to see where it takes them.

Ultimately, I want the music to compliment who [the students] are. Taking lessons with me is one way they can explore their musical journey. It’s a lifelong journey. I suppose it happens with other instruments, but I’ve always been fascinated by the life-long journeys of people when they play pan and how many people come up to me and say I wish I played it when I was younger.

Barry:

I tend to give my students personal attention. Even when in-person classes were allowed, they were always small, 5, 7, 8 students, no more than 10. Once you get them comfortable, they will tell you anything (laughs). [Things like], sir, this morning for breakfast I had so and so. [Usually I say], ooh, that’s cool! Now let’s try to play this section here. My students are really comfortable with me, so they get comfortable with the exercises I give them or songs we have to learn to play.

In terms of what I teach, I kind of teach based on the students who wish to get certified. They do the program through the University of the West Indies because I’m also a lecturer there. They have this program where you can get certified from Grade 1 all the way to Grade 8. I basically stick to the content of each grade and throw in some fun exercises. Sometimes I ask students for their input. Once it’s a song they like, they will want to do it and enjoy learning it.

…steelpan online during a pandemic

Tracey:

During COVID I was fortunate enough that I didn’t lose out on too many students. I normally conduct my lessons at my home studio or I go to their house, so there is some flexibility of options. [Now we are] obviously restricted to remain in our respective spaces. So using either Zoom or Skype are my two primary programs of choice and surprisingly enough it has gone quite well. My setup at home has been really good. For instance, with my piano lessons, I am able to angle the piano appropriately so they can see me and the keys. Students have a similar setup on their end. There is a lot of mimicry on both ends even though Zoom, for example, doesn’t support us playing at the same time and has an audio/video lag. Instead I use a call-and-response format.

Barry:

My academy is run out of a primary school, so when the prime minister [of Trinidad and Tobago] made the announcement that all schools were being closed and no gathering was allowed, I was totally thrown off. I had to contact all my students and cancel the classes. The lockdown was supposed to last 14 days at first, but then it was extended. For a long time, March, April, May, nothing was happening. The situation [in the country eventually] did get better. We were down to like zero cases at a point in time. We were starting to open back up, but schools were still not allowed. [That’s when I said], there must be another way. I did a little test run, between May and June, and it went pretty well.

I set my sessions to approximately 45 minutes. They are all one-on-one sessions. Because of Zoom and the way it’s set up with audio, I have to explain what I would like the students to do. I’ll have my pan right there, so I can play [the music] for ear training exercises. My focus before the pandemic was music theory, teaching students who wish to get certified. I still send sheet music to those students, but many younger ones are learning by rote. I’m slowly doing more of the theory part of it as well and integrating the two.

Tracey:

The majority of my students anticipated that a virtual format was coming. I think this was because of the school system that was being set up. Learning to use video chat was kind of an advantage on both our ends. We had to be adaptable and roll with the punches. It’s working pretty well. A lot of them are video chatting with their families and friends. Learning has just been added to the list of alternatives. We’ve been able to continue with our lesson structure in a different style. Parents are very happy to have their kids continue doing [something educational] during quarantine. If I had a dime for every mention of [the game] Fortnight and parents’ frustration about all the screen time that’s being wasted…(laughs).

Barry:

I took the month of July and August to really decide if I wanted to [teach online] full time. Once I decided, I created a video which I ran on Facebook and Instagram to advertise for a couple days. It didn’t get much bite, but then I decided to purchase an ad with a local television station. That was a lot more successful.

…the challenges

Tracey:

Before COVID, my most senior student was 75, but the new structure has been an obstacle for some of my older students. They feel more disconnected, which I totally understand. But [I still try to] maintain the relationship. I never want to do anything that would stop my students from wanting to learn. So if it means they need that headspace to relax or take a break, I’m all for it.

Barry:

Technology can fail at any time, so sometimes my biggest challenge is having a student who doesn’t have a good internet or wifi connection. Now I ask [upfront] that they have a good working device, a phone, tablet, or laptop.

…the benefits

Tracey:

It’s been great to be able to see how others teach online, motivate their students, and connect with people who are like minded and come from different backgrounds. [For my teaching], there is more of a dialogue back and forth. I use the fact that my students are not physically in front of me for our warm up and ear training exercises. Their attention span has actually increased because they are forced to really focus and listen to the examples I am playing for them. It’s a definite advantage of using video.

Barry:

The most amazing thing about online teaching is that you can teach a student in any part of the world now. I’m based in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and through online teaching I got my first student from Tobago. My classes are also more accessible to students outside of the capital city. When I got contacted by a guy in Puerto Rico, I was like, okay, alright! (laughs). Now I have two students from New York and one student from all the way in Germany. Germany! Her dad is Trini and her mother is German. And a new student just contacted me from Australia.

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Are you ready to start your musical journey? Consider an online class with Tracey or Barry. They both have classes that suit a broad range of students, from first timers to experienced musicians, and from little ones to lifelong leaders

Here’s a taste of what you can expect from Tracey and Barry

Contact Tracey via email or her Instagram page. Contact Barry via email or his Instagram page.