Nine Barbados schools brought the sweet sound of steel pan to the Springer Memorial School last Saturday, as the ‘When The Stars Align’ fundraiser successfully hit all the right notes for the graduating class of 2026. People turned out in numbers to support the fundraiser.
The event was coordinated by a teacher at the Springer Memorial school, Tara Mayers. Steel pan was the focus of the fundraiser as most of the girls in the graduating class form part of Springer’s pan ensemble.
“Initially when we planned this event it was about raising funds for graduation coming up soon. Now that we’re here and it is happening it is amazing and it must be an every year thing. The idea is that we’ve brought all of the stars together from the different parts of Barbados and they’ve all aligned here at Springer Memorial school. Job well done to the 5th year graduating class, the teachers who worked hard and those who would’ve supported parents, teachers, friends, students, everybody. We are so happy, we feel good, accomplished and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,“ she said with a smile.
One of the schools that performed at the event to support the graduating class was The Harrison’s College. They played steel pan renditions of the songs: Tempted to Touch by Rupee, Lucy by Destra, Good Spirits by Full Blown and several others. Their preparation was a little different to other schools as they were mostly independent in their preparation for the fundraiser as their music tutor, Judah Goddard, was out of the island, though they did have a substitute. He returned to the island just in time to witness their performance and he was proud of it.
“They did really well, I’m very proud of them. They were the ones that did the rehearsals, organized their set list, transitions, how long they would play…they did everything. All I did was stand up and dance because that’s all I needed to do. When I teach students, I teach them independence from a fundamental level…I know for a fact that they don’t need me to be in front of them to be exceptional,” he expressed.
The fundraising event wasn’t just strictly pan as there were giveaways, interactive segments between the Master of Ceremonies Carl Pardmore and a beautiful performance of ‘Never Enough’ by Loren Alfred was sung by lower 6 student of the Springer Memorial School, Destinee Bruce. Her performance received a roaring response from the crowd as some spectators stood as they applauded her.
This event was the first of potentially many more, as music teachers of the Springer school shared their thoughts on the execution of the event. Music coordinator Dave Hackman, referenced the Pan Yard Lime that Springer’s group performed at which took place in July of last year, when speaking on the preparations and inspiration for the event.
“This idea is actually out of what happened with the Pan Yard Lime last year. So you can understand that this is a very short space in between. So the graduating class decided to use this as an opportunity, they would’ve invited the groups who were all willing. That is one great thing about the different pan groups, they are all willing to come together and support each other. That makes the process a lot easier and it builds camaraderie among the students and we appreciated that. The turn out is encouraging understanding that it is Springer’s first time. Outside of limitations, we found that everybody worked collaboratively and were able to make it work…it is already being spoken of as an annual thing,” he stated.
The hosts of the evening, the Springer Memorial graduating class, put the icing on the ‘When The Stars Align’ cake as the final act of the night. More than just a fundraiser, the event strengthened camaraderie among the island’s youth steel pan community and is already slated to become an annual fixture on the school’s calendar.
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