The Steel Pan
1The steel pan is a musical instrument made from a large steel drum. It comes from Trinidad and Tobago, an island country in the Caribbean Sea. Our school music room has three steel pans, and I wanted to learn more about them.
2A steel pan starts as an empty oil drum. A pan maker hammers the top of the drum into a shape like a wide bowl. Then the maker marks out small areas on the bowl. Each area plays a different note.
3To play the pan, a player hits the notes with two sticks. The sticks have rubber tips, so the sound is soft and ringing instead of loud and clanging. Small pans play high notes. Bigger pans play low notes.
4Many players join a steel band. A steel band is a group of musicians who play steel pans together. Some large steel bands have so many players that they fill a whole stage.
5The steel pan turns something old into something new. The next time you hear its bright sound, think of the drum it used to be.