By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 31st August 2022) — Children from the 2022 graduation class of the 16th annual Traditional Musical Workshop — sponsored by Delisle Walwyn & Company Ltd. — have expressed high praises stemming from their experience, which showcased lessons on the fife, banjo, quatro and guitar. The graduation ceremony was held on Saturday 27th August at Zack’s Historical-Cultural Library and Museum at Buckley’s Estate in Basseterre under the workshop’s theme ‘Independence Awareness.’ More than 10 graduates received certificates of Participation and Excellence each.
Graduate Kashief Tomlin said: “I like that they taught us how to make the fife and I learnt how to blow the fife and the other instruments sound good too.” Christopher Cheriban noted: “I learnt how to play the instruments and I actually learnt how to make an instrument which is the fife. You have to mark out the length of the fife, you have to saw it and you have to heat up the oven red hot and you have to place the holes and then sand it. What I would say to other young people is to take learning about culture seriously.” Rayjaun Hodge said simply: “I like the experience of the workshop because I like playing the instruments like the guitar.” Workshop Coordinator Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett expressed: “As long as you apply yourself and you really settle down to it, you could be a big factor in the tourism development because the tourism department is looking for creativity and what they are looking for is indigenous type of instruments that are played to visitors — something that is more ingenious to the island. St. Kitts has the whole cultural awareness programmes that would bring about better creativity.” The 2022 workshop ran for four weeks from Wednesday 3rd August to Friday 26th August 2022.