When it comes to Caribbean music, mentorship plays an integral part of shaping its overall nature. As a matter of fact, according to Christine Gangelhoff and Cathleen LeGrand's book "Tour De Force", mentorship serves as one of the three thematic threads that hosts similarities among the development of musical traditions throughout the Caribbean (Gangelhoff & LeGrand, 2020). Although creolization and versatility are also listed as important thematic threads, this portfolio focuses on mentorship and the vital role it plays within Caribbean music. Broadly speaking, mentorship can be defined as the relationship between two or more individuals in which the person with more knowledge, experience or wisdom educates and/or passes on their knowledge to those persons who aren't as educated about a particular field/concept. The same definition applies for this thematic thread throughout the book, as school-aged students in the Caribbean are granted the opportunity to take a bite into the delights of sweet sweet SWEET Caribbean music. A prime example of mentorship from the text is shown in the image below, which depicts young girls participating in the annual Junior Junkanoo parade in my beautiful hometown, Nassau, Bahamas:
Used with permission from Kenyon McDonald (Gangelhoff & LeGrand, 2020)
Now from the looks of the picture above, I'm pretty sure these girls have graduated from simple hand claps and giggles of "there's a brown girl in the ring" during recess and are now being engulfed in the sweet collection of metal cowbells, goatskin drums and shiny brass tubas beautifully played by talented little boys. Oh, how I can't wait for the real deal of Junkanoo this Christmas! Nonetheless, you get the idea; the young girls and boys are being shown from a young age how to adopt an unconditional appreciation for their home culture. Not only are they dressed from head to toe in straw hats and Androsian print skirts/dresses, but they are also taught coordination of how to sway to the beat while continuously moving in an ordered fashion. I personally believe that such an opportunity for the young kids ignites raging flames of excitement, as such a parade gives them something to look forward to while also tapping into the world of Caribbean music. Shown below is a snippet of the 2020 Sol Petroleum Junior Junkanoo Parade that highlights T.G Glover's performance:
Another great example of mentorship lies in the hands of the Urban Renewal and Bahamas All-Star (BAS) Bands based in Nassau, Bahamas. Both bands are non-profit, youth development organizations that were formed for young Bahamians to either learn or enhance their musical and performing art talents. While both organizations are directed by different individuals, children are afforded the same musical opportunities in both groups. As a matter of fact, I myself was a part of the Bahamas All-Stars band from 2015-2017. Although I wasn't one of those who fuelled the music train with an instrument, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the band as a flagette. Both bands normally battle face to face at an annual event known as "Battle of the Bands" hosted at St.John's auditorium. I have always found the thought of a competition between two great bands exhilarating, especially considering the fact that I was a part of one. In 2019, an Editor for the "Bahamas Chronicle" (an electronic Bahamians, Caribbean and International news source) explained that the BAS band director, Yonell Justilien explains that band members are "offered free professional training and mentoring from six qualified directors". More importantly, Mr. Justilien noted that "the organization is more than just a marching band as it seeks to raise self-esteem and instill pride among the youth, while encouraging them to maintain academic excellence" (Bahamas Chronicle, 2019).
Shown below are a few images of the Bahamas All-Stars and Urban Renewal Bands:
Bahamas All-Stars 2022 Summer Camp
Urban Renewal Youth Band 2016 Performance
Unfortunately, there isn't a wide collection of recent images from the Urban Renewal Band, but I can assure you that "das dat wybe". Their members always seem passionate and excited about performing, whether it's at practice, a local event, international event, and most definitely for a competition. Shown below is a video of the most recent battle of the bands event, held in November 2019:
All in all, mentorship is most definitely alive and well in the Caribbean, and more specifically The Bahamas. While the two examples are just the tip of the iceberg when diving into the prevalence and influence of this thematic thread in Caribbean music, they are quite great ones.
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