The expressive arts have long been a valued part of the Caribbean culture. In the last two to three decades in particular, there has been growing belief that the arts are integral to the development of personal and national identity. Academics and politicians see the arts as tools for nation building, even if at times the processes needed to develop artistic sensibilities and artistic enterprises are given less attention and financial support than they warrant.

Steel pan, pan, steelband, used interchangeably in this paper to designate a collection or ensemble of pans, began humbly enough, as the main musical accompaniment for poorer revellers on Carnival days in Trinidad and Tobago. Pan’s acceptance in academia as a legitimate area of study bespeaks therefore a coming of age and a celebration of national consciousness and confidence. It bespeaks, too, the acceptance of music itself, and of the Carnival arts, as worthy of academic study.