Dylan Mitchell - The true meaning of music is that it connects people. It carries a message and the musicians are the messengers.
Panpodium continues their initiative to highlight the youth in steelpan as the continuity of the artform lies with the youth.
Meet Dylan Mitchell who started playing music from the tender age of 7. Dylan started his musical career with his first musical instrument being the Steelpan, the National instrument of Trinidad and Tobago and the only acoustic instrument created in the 20th century.
Dylan fondly remembers his introduction to the steelpan instrument when the band, Five Precious Wounds, played at his church BBQ. His curiosity captured his attention to the intricacies and runs played on the pan but what was also captivating was the enjoyment it brought about by those that played the pans.
Dylan’s first and only steel band he played with so far is St Michael And All Angels Steel Orchestra. He has never played at a UK National Steel Band Panorama competition owing to the time in which the event starts and finishes which doesn’t take into consideration the average age of the members of the band. Instead, he confirmed that they work through a summer programme and have a concert towards which include an eclectic range of music.
When questioned about which steel band in the world he would want to play with, he answered, ‘I would like to play for BP Renegades. I’ve been following their musical journey for a few years and I am in total awe of the contributions they bring forth to the panorama competition.’
Dylan playing on the road at Notting Hill Carnival
Since 2009, Dylan has played at the Notting Hill Carnival, and has taken part in the Best Conventional Steel Band on the Road and the Best Junior Steel Band on the Road competitions since it has been introduced. He has arranged musical renditions for St Michael And All Angels Steel Orchestra (SMASO) to be entered into these competitions. In 2016, they were crowned the Champions of the Best Conventional Steel Band on the Road with ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor and the following year did the double in winning the Best Conventional Steel Band and Best Junior Steel Band on the Road.
When asked about his experiences in these competitions, Dylan replied, ‘the introduction of the Best Junior Steel Band on the Road, granted me the opportunity to venture into the arrangement aspect of the music. From selecting a song, potentially having to transpose it. Creating and refining parts to be played up until its final product. This has helped me to develop as a musician, as I am a music producer and subtle intricacies and ideas capture my attention. In addition to this, it has exposed me to the types of listeners the audience can be and how I can capture the attention and get everybody moving regardless of their musical level.’
Dylan has not embarked on any tours but raised enough money with 11 other people to go on a trip to Tobago in 2011 with St Michael and All Angels Steel Orchestra at the age of 11. The following year, Dylan, along with four other members of SMASO travelled to Italy to play for a wedding.
SMASO at BAS Awards
When questioned about his most challenging experiences, he confirmed, ‘the most challenging thing that I have done to do with pans is having an idea of what I am going to do and having to change the plan on the spot due to people not turning up or not retaining knowledge learned from previous sessions.’
Dylan’s favourite pan is the Double Seconds and he also plays drums and used to play the Guitar, Clarinet and Saxophone. One of his most inspirational moments in his musical life was watching Alfred ‘Freddy’ Totesaut, their main arranger, play. Freddy’s musical journey alone, in the UK and his tours around Europe and the amount of lives he has impacted upon through music. He is grateful to have gained the knowledge through the likes of a living inspiration.
Dylan on the float at Notting Hill Carnival
In SMASO, he has a number of roles. He is a section leader for the single and double second sections and also assumed the role of drilling the band with Freddy’s arrangements ensuring they sound as tight as possible leading up to carnival related competitions. Dylan has also stepped up in the role of arranging a number of songs for the band for their competitions in Freddy’s absence.
He takes his roles seriously and confirmed the difference between reading something from a piece of paper and saying something with passion and conviction is important. He stated, ‘There is a very big difference between a band knowing notes to a musical piece and playing that music with meaning and sentiment.’
When asked what are the important qualities/skills that an individual must possess to perform the role that you do in a steel band? He replied, ‘you need to have the ability to play every pan, know every part each section of the band is supposed to play, the aim of the arranger and the understanding of all band members as well as the ability to communicate effectively with the band.’
Dylan confirmed that his biggest inspiration is that music is a universal tool that can be used to influence almost anything. He is extremely passionate about expressing a thought or feeling through art as there is something aesthetically pleasing about creating, admiring and relishing how one’s work can impact on the environment around them whether it be on a small or large scale.
He hopes that the steel band culture within the UK can create and allow more local involvement within competitions instead of having foreign arrangers arrange for UK bands denying those that would like to as they have no experience in doing so.
Dylan at the BAS Awards.
His vision for steelpan in the future is that the youth within all bands be allowed to express themselves through contributing to arrangements and eventually doing their own so that they bring more diversity to the bands overall sound due to their individual ideas and inflections. With the knowledge and experience Dylan has been exposed to through St Michael And All Angels Steel Orchestra, he is aspiring to become a music producer and he is in his second year of University, studying music production. He believes there needs to be a greater togetherness among all steel bands on every level so there is more unity and the all bands can move forward as one.
At the end of the interview Dylan left Panpodium with the following quote from the Greek Philosopher, Plato, "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." So, let’s spread our wings, open our imagination and create harmonious music to bring joy and happiness to the world.
