Sometimes, meeting up with an old friend and enjoying a beautiful autumn day together is the best kind of collaboration out there. Diana Jordan, certified professional dog trainer and owner of PupStart in North Yarmouth, Maine, plays with Jango and me at the Clarendon Gorge. Super fun!
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When Are Team Building Activities a Good Idea?
This summer I’ve been involved in a couple of team building projects that have taken me well outside my comfort zone. A bit stressful, but ultimately rewarding, in that I feel more supported, more confident, and better equipped to deal with conflict and uncertainty when they come my way. During both projects, I was reminded […]
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Learn Something New In Retirement
The focus and heart that each member brought to the band added up to an incredible sense of accomplishment…
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The Power of a Positive Culture
A few weeks ago I had a great day at dealer.com, where I led musical team building workshops for six teams. In total, I taught steel drumming to about 40 people, all of whom were open to learning and engaged in the creative process. On the dealer.com web page there is a section about the […]
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What I Learned at School
I recently completed a two-week artist-in-residency at the Rutland Intermediate School, teaching over 500 students about the steel pan. It was a great experience, full of insights gained from my interactions with the kids. Here are a few of my take-aways: Use the Energy of your Audience All it takes is one eager participant to […]
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Remembering Ellie Mannette, the Stradivarius of Steel
Trinidadian Ellie Mannette passed away on August 29, 2018, at the age of 90. He will fondly be remembered as the Stradivarius of Steel. Mannette was an inventor, innovator, master builder, tuner, teacher and ambassador of the modern steel drum. He was the first to “sink” the surface of the drum. He shaped convex notes […]
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Let Your Employees Know They Are Valued
When my daughter recently told me she received a bonus at work, I thought back to my days as a teacher. The rewards of teaching in the schools are many, but they are not monetary. Profit sharing, commissions, bonuses — these terms are foreign to the public education vernacular. Having said that, there was the […]
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Top 10 List
A top ten list of why your team should participate in a Calypso Steel Drum Workshop: 10. It’s fun tapping a steel drum, which sounds like a kitchen pan, only more exotic 9. Finally, something to drown out the helicopter pad 8. There will be plenty of Instagram moments 7. Saying “yah […]
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Steel Drum History
Steel drums, also known as pans, are the only family of chromatic, acoustic instruments invented in the twentieth century. They hail from Trinidad, and their fascinating history is inextricably linked to the culture and resiliency of the Trinidadian people. At one time or another, Spanish, English, Dutch and French colonialists ruled the island of Trinidad. African slaves […]
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Old-Fashioned Team Building Never Looked So Good
China is moving swiftly toward algorithmic governance. Among other things, this means that faces of jay walkers and people who are late in their payments are projected on billboard-sized screens, for everyone to see. If this causes you to cringe, pay attention because corporate America is not far behind. Take a look at Yva, for […]
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