Granville Steel Drum Program will host Liam Teague

By Craig McDonald

From Newark Advocate

GRANVILLE - The Granville Music Boosters have announced a couple of special, upcoming steel drum band events.

First up, is a concert:

“We always have spring concert, but the reason this one is a little special, is our guest soloist is arguably one of the best pan players living right now,” said Andrew Krumm, steel drum band director, in a recent phone interview.

At 7 p.m. on May 9, the Granville Steel Drum Program will host Liam Teague for a performance at Granville High School that will also feature performances by the various Granville steel drum bands.

Teague, currently professor of music and steel pan studies at Northern Illinois University, will also hold a one-day clinic.

The professor and pan player is noted for having “hands like lightning,” according to a news release.

There is no admission charge for the concert, but Krumm said any donations will be gladly accepted.

Krumm also noted there is a special auction of two lead pans underway in order to fund replacements for the Granville Steel Drum Program.

“They’re a little bit older, a little bit dated, and need to be ungraded,” Krumm said.

Granville Music Boosters are accepting bids for the pans through end of day, May 15. Bids can be submitted during the May 9 concert, or by emailing granvillemusicboosters@gmail.org.

The winners will receive their pans after the new pans have been purchased and received by the school, according to a news release.

The size and scope of Granville’s steel drum band program is quite unusual, according to Krumm.

“It’s definitely not a common thing to have a steel band the size of Granville’s, or have a steel drum band, period,” he said. “I can only think of a handful in Ohio, mostly college groups, larger than Granville’s. I believe we have one of the larger high school steel bands in existence."

The steel drum band program now encompasses not just the high school band, “Blue Steel,” but also the middle school and home-school community (“Steel Home”). There is also an adult band that meets once a week, that performs under the name, “Pandemonium."

Overall, Krumm estimates there are roughly 130 members across the various Granville drum bands.