The steel drum bears an indexical relationship to notions of 'Caribbean identity' that correspond with fun, sun, and relaxation. These associations grow out of media representations in film, music, and the American tourist industries. Musicians in Pittsburgh and elsewhere around the world, however, use the steel drum in their own ways, expanding the types of music the steel drum is heard playing. While some still choose to use the steel drum, or steel pan as it is also known, in what is perceived as authentic Caribbean steelband music, others have found ways of incorporating it into a variety of musical genres such as jazz fusion. Music venues, audience perceptions, and performance opportunities determine the ways the steel drum is played and expressed in old and new forms. As the home of steel pan makers and many steel pan musicians, Pittsburgh plays a significant role in these exchanges. Ethnographic material from the Steel City reveals that expectations of authenticity influence the reception of steel pan music. World music education curriculums and multicultural programming in the region shape the instrument's identity as well. This thesis analyzes the complex ways the steel drum is imbued with notions of "Caribbeanness" and how musicians perform on this instrument within and beyond these cultural parameters.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-12012009-171943 |
Date | 25 January 2010 |
Creators | Bona, Lisa M. |
Contributors | James P. Cassaro, Adriana Helbig, Andrew N. Weintraub |
Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | text |
Format | application/pdf |
Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-12012009-171943/ |
Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds