Examining ethnomusicology through 60 years of steel bands in the UK, and almost 50 years of steel bands in British schools

Sixty years ago, a steel band played to an audience in the UK for the first time.
Forty years ago, steel pans were introduced into British schools for two different
but interrelated reasons. The first was to give credence to the cultural heritage
of the black child (Caribbean or African), in a multicultural environment, and to
provide opportunities for black children to explore this culture/musical traditions
through their own competent performances. The second was to introduce the
Caribbean’s musical tradition to the wider school population as a way of valuing
other cultures. This model suggested that steel pans were solely for the benefit
of black children, and the technological experts (steel pan tuners/teacher) were
also to be black, or born in the Caribbean. This paper examines how far we have
come in the last 40 years, in forging a music curriculum in schools under a truly
multicultural umbrella.