Mannette Steel Drums is holding the Festival of Steel 2008

Mannette Steel Drums is holding the Festival of Steel 2008
July 6-12, 2008
WVU Creative Arts Center, Morgantown , WV

Dr. Ellie Mannette, famed steel band innovator, hosts the Festival of
Steel each year. The event attracts participants from all across the
United States (and beyond) to spend an intensive week immersed in steel
band’s performance, education and history.

The 16 th Annual Mannette Steel Drum’s Festival of Steel will take
place July 6 - 12, 2008 at WVU's Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, West
Virginia. Dr. Mannette and his staff look forward to seeing you this
summer in Morgantown ! Enrollment is limited and is expected to fill
quickly.

Continuing Education Credits (CEU's)/College Credits are available for
participants through West Virginia University.  Click on the
Participant Info link on the right.

For more information contact the Workshop Coordinator at Mannette Steel
Drums at (304) 296-6405, (866) 237- DRUM or by email at
workshops@mannettesteeldrums.com .

Faculty:

Ray Holman
Andy Narell
Jeff Narell
Tom Miller
Jim Munzenrider
Alan Lightner
Chris Tanner

Components

Performance Bands: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Lectures
Seminars
Community Program

Schedule of Events

7/6 Registration & Kickoff Concert (formerly Faculty Showcase)
Daily Schedule TBA
7/10 Jam Session (tentative)
7/12 Final Concert

FESTIVAL of STEEL 2008

Mannette Steel Drums and Dr. Ellie Mannette invite you to Morgantown,
West Virginia and West Virginia University ’s Creative Arts Center for
a week- long celebration of the steel drum art form.

For more than a decade, Dr. Ellie Mannette, widely regarded as the
"Father of the Modern Steel Drum", has been training a team of gifted
apprentices in Morgantown . These apprentices are now master craftsman and
comprise the staff of Mannette Steel Drums, Ltd. under the leadership of
Chanler Bailey, President and CEO. They are devoted to crafting the
finest steel drum instruments in the industry and continuing the legacy
of Ellie Mannette.
Each summer for the past 16 years, Dr. Mannette and these dedicated
colleagues have hosted a summer workshop designed to celebrate the steel
drum art form and to provide a venue for enthusiasts, educators and
professional players to exchange information.

PERFORMANCE

The workshop is a highly performance oriented experience. Whether you
are a professional musician seeking other players of your caliber and a
challenge, an educator looking to collect information to better your
program and expand your repertoire, or a beginner with no musical
background at all, you will find this an incredible experience. World renowned
performers, lecturers and clinicians will be leading Advanced,
Intermediate and Beginner bands in daily rehearsals, culminating in a
performance at the end of the week
HISTORY

Would you pass up a chance to meet Stradivarius? Shake hands with
Einstein? Not many legends are recognized for greatness during their
lifetime. Dr. Ellie Mannette is one of the fortunate few. Lectures will cover
topics on:

  •  Steel band's early history
  •  The evolution of the various instruments
  •  Mannette's personal experiences and observations of steel
band's development in the US and abroad
  •  Trinidad 's Carnival and Panorama
  •  Current building and tuning demonstrations with the staff of
Mannette Steel Drums, Ltd.

Did you know that steel drums are the only family of acoustic
instruments invented in the twentieth century? Dr. Mannette is responsible for
much of the innovation of the family of steel drums, and for taking them
to an unparalleled level of tonal sophistication

EDUCATION

Daily seminars will be led by some of the most well respected and
talented steel band directors and performers in the industry. Integral to
the week- long immersion in this art form is the provision of additional
information in a lecture setting for the music educator as well as the
steelband performer.

Topics may include information on:

  * Arranging Techniques
  * Performance Techniques
  * Engine Room fundamentals
  * Repertoire
  * Fundraising

Every steel drum player is an educator. As performers, we must be aware
that many in our audience are experiencing this instrument for the
first time. With this awareness comes the responsibility for providing
more information about its origins and capabilities than that of musicians
of more familiar instruments.
Community Program

Designed for area residents, the community program includes 3 evening
sessions providing an introduction to the steel band and steel drum
performance in a fun and informative setting.

Keep swingin'

Sword