This journal is intended to record, discuss and archive a collection of personal projects that were done by myself. It will contain photographs and scans of paintings, books, documents, research work, and several others that were done by me. These can be found by links that go directly to the "DAPHA Projects" Facebook group. I hope that you find the content in the group enjoyable.
Actual Date of Online
Entry: (Saturday 5th November 2022)
[St. George’s College (WEEK 7) – Day #25]
Dear
Diary,
Today
was the first working day for St. George’s College at the University of Trinidad
and Tobago (UTT) campus in Valsayn. The rain caused a lot of flooding that
morning and the maxis were not there in the stand. Daddy and I walked back to
the taxi stand in Curepe and we got a car. A lady told me in the car that she ran
back to tell us that the maxis came but she took the car with me. Going down
they spoke about Halloween and I remembered it was the last day of October.
When
I got to the gates of the UTT compound, the security wrote my name in their
book. It was different information than in Barataria. I had to ask the guard for
the time to transfer into the OJT attendance log. I wrote the time into my orange
diary first before the OJT log as usual.
Sitting
at my desk in the administration office, the noise was the first thing to go
through with teachers and others coming in and out of the heavy glass door. It
was day six so I did not have classes as well as the rest of the school. I did
not understand why we were asked to come out to the campus so quickly when it
did not seem prepared for classes.
Miss
Roberts came into the office late to sign. We walked around the campus to find
the second staffroom in Block K and later we went to the music room to see the
layout. When we got there, people were still working in the room and they had
placed some tables and chairs in the room. It took up space and we wondered how
the steelpan instruments would fit in the space to the back. All of the tables
and chairs were cramped up to the front and we didn’t know what to do with the
rest of the room.
Some
long minutes after, the principal came into the room with another lady to check
the music room. I soon found out without asking that the lady was the school’s
supervisor. I had never met a school supervisor before but the conversation was
nice. I walked Miss Roberts back to her desk and got my bags to go back to the
administration office. She said she had a meeting and I asked to see her later
for some help.
I
went and started to have lunch and started to work on a bus shuttle form. Miss
Gittens had messaged me minutes going to five in the morning to help her make a
list to check the students go on the bus. We had spoken about this earlier this
morning before school started. As we spoke about it, the teachers’ subject
register I had made over was coming to mind. I Miss Gittens that I could
make a form for the entire month with large columns and they will have spaces
for the five days of the week. I saw the smile come to her and she said she
liked the idea.
I
got the laptop turned on and opened up the teachers’ subject register and used
the Forms 4 to Upper 6 version. I was glad that it did not take long to do but
I did not know how many students needed to be filled into the tables. It was no
longer two tables for boys and girls but just a continuous table. I was able to
get a list of the names from Miss Patel and Miss Sawh when they saw what I made
for them.
It
was only the night after working hours, I had made two sets of lists. I was not
sure which one they would have preferred to use. The first set was two
documents that had a lot of rows in case there were more students to add in.
The second set of two lists was concise and used less paper. There were two emails
sent to the three teachers for both sets. Miss Gittens had liked them. For the
two of us, the concise one might not have been so visually appealing.
In
the last thirty minutes before school finished, I got my way back to Block K to
work on the melody for the college song. The ‘children’ in the staffroom were
noisy as usual. Miss Roberts and I tried really hard to listen to the video
with the children in the video singing the St. George’s College song. The
second verse had a change in only one measure. I was glad that the review went
by in that short space of time.
I
got a ride with Miss Libert up to Curepe and I got to create thirteen multiple-choice
questions as we waited twelve minutes in traffic getting out of the UTT compound.
Some more waiting on the main road to get there I shared with her the Temporary
Mark Sheet that I had made for myself. She said that she would love to use it
so I sent a PDF copy to her later after doing the two sets of forms for the Bus
Shuttles. We also spoke about the time at St. George’s and Google classroom
before getting out.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 18th December 2022)
Dear Diary,
The following sectioned entries below will detail the occurrences and activities relating to the creation of the Tunapuna Secondary School’s Song.
FIRST TIME MEETING MR J. RAMASAR.
** Monday 17th October 2022. **
[St. George’s College (Week 5) – Day #17]
This morning I was supposed to go to join the teachers in the staffroom for a meeting about the concerns of the school’s danger to everyone. It was a long day with the morning meeting for heads to go to the University of the Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) site and the continuation site in the evening.
Sitting at my desk in the staffroom at around ten o’clock, I got a Messenger text from a new Facebook friend name John. He was someone I did not know. After the long and tiring day, we did not speak for much until later that night.
During our conversation via text from 6:43 to 7:06 pm, he had asked for assistance in music notation. It was to score the Tunapuna Secondary School song. I learned that there were no music notations for the song. It reminded me of when I first heard the anthems for Hillview, Vessigny and St. George’s.
I was told that there was something done that he met there when starting to work at the school. It was a recording of the song with a lady singing and someone playing a keyboard. While listening to it, I knew that a lead sheet would have been necessary before beginning to transcribe that entire song. I was surprised that the length and wondered how the students would learn it. I suppose it is the same as Vessigny. I just at the time hoped it would not have taken forever like the Vessigny steelpan version.
As soon as John was approving the lead sheet, I asked him for the name of the persons responsible for the text/lyrics (Amanda Jagassar), melody (Juliet Robin) and the name of the school song. I was told that the name of the song was “Our School Song”. I recalled seeing that in their school’s anniversary magazine in the newspapers some months ago. I did not agree with it as a name for the song but didn’t comment.
I was given a snapshot of the school song’s lyrics. That would have been helpful to me in creating the lead sheet. Before our conversation concluded, I learned that Dr Mohammed had referred him to me about notating the music.
This evening was kind of my first face-to-face meeting with John on Zoom. We did not chat much at first but got straight into the music topic of the evening. I was the one that created the link so I shared my screen and showed him the lead sheet first.
I mentioned that the text was difficult during the chorus section. I did not know if all of the chorus sections were “thy light HAS come” or “thy light IS come” since they were not exact. The melody with piano accompaniment version was five pages in length. The playing was done and we spoke some more about it. As I did for St. George's and Hillview, I also had to ask for a copy of the school’s logo that will decorate the score.
As part of the conversation, I also added a share of what I had done for St. George’s anthem and Vessigny’s anthem. Then I moved the attention from the three to Hillview’s College song on YouTube. I did offer John to make a YouTube video of their school song but had mentioned that if the principal had given his or her approval, I would continue to work on that.
A little before my presentations for that one meeting were over, I shared with John a short view of the results from a new software I downloaded called Anthem Score on Thursday 20th October 2022. As I had expected, there would have been a huge mess created. I was consulting with John during the week about the chords used in the piano part and he too found them to be very confusing.
While I was busy trying to strictly notate what was being done in the music, I had forgotten about listening to the music and allowing it to tell me what it wanted. I found it to be much easier as I used it this way. I’m glad that the music spoke to me. I was also forced to make some negotiations as expected and sooner than expected too I was done with the piece.
When my meeting ended with John with a long conversation (7:30 pm), I took the same lead sheet and began working on the steelpan version of the same school song. I left like it was too much work to do but I did not entertain the feeling. I continued because I know of the special importance it will serve later on. My work for the night ended at 9:00 pm.
Link(s):
Lead Sheet. **
Vocal Score with Piano Acc. **
Anthem Score Results: Voice & Piano Acc. **
STEELPAN ARRANGEMENT (V1).
** Sunday 23rd October 2022. **
At 9:00 pm the last night, I was able to complete the introduction of the song which was four measures in four-four times. The verse was not difficult at all to create a strumming pattern. I ended up ignoring all that was given in the recording of the singing lady and the confusing piano part. Instead, I did what I wanted and chose to bring it to life like Vessigny’s anthem and St. George’s anthem.
Additionally, I was very pleased that the same strumming patterns for the verse could have been reused for the chorus. It reduced more work to be done and they were copied and pasted in immediately.
Verse three on the other hand presented more challenge because it was different from the other verses. A new strumming pattern had to be made for the double tenors and double seconds, and the Guitars and Cellos.
LOGO/CREST.
** Monday 24th October 2022. **
In my previous work with St. George’s, I felt that it was necessary and satisfactory to have the Tunapuna Secondary School logo inserted into the scores that I had created. Unfortunately, as time went by from the date above all the way to the end of the team, no logo was given to me. I had to source the same image from Google. This image was not a proper or official one.
On Tuesday 6th December 2022, I saved the image and edited and cleaned it myself. The file format was changed for the insertion of the image into the Musescore file.
SCHOOL’S SONG BOOKLETS.
** Tuesday 13th December 2022. **
Last night I had all the materials to make Tunapuna’s Song sent to print by ISA. I decided to make a book for them as I did for St. George’s with all the parts for the steelpan arrangement and the vocal piece with piano accompaniment previously completed.
In addition, I decided that it would be good to insert copies of all the parts of the national anthem I had done for “PanChile” some weeks ago. I heard that they were starting a steelband trial for the first time and knew that as a steelband in Hillview, the college song and national anthem were the two most crucial pieces above all other repertoires.
FIRST MEETINGS & ACQUAINTANCES.
** Wednesday 14th December 2022. **
This morning was an early one. I had a nice surprise visit from Mr Ramasar (at 11:28) for a while until our conversation was then continued in the Tunapuna Secondary School’s compound. It was my first step into the compound. I was very excited. My view of the school was only the back entrance by my home.
The environment was quite different but standing in the car park, gave me that same calm and welcoming feeling that St. George’s presented me all these years. I was asked to sign the guard’s book shortly after.
It felt like I was definitely going to school. I carried my bookbag on my back with the booklets and another bag in my hand. We met the Principal and Vice Principal for the first time some minutes after setting up my laptop in the waiting area. I had the vocal piece with piano accompaniment opened first to play for them and explained that this was the work requested of me to do.
Immediately after the vocal and piano version, I had the steelpan version waiting. None of the three had heard this one either. I explained my reason and the importance of it and then played it for them. I found a bigger, better feeling from the steelpan one after playing the vocal and piano one. Even though I have heard the steelpan version many times before the meeting, I think we were all surprised by the way the rhythmic introduction came in. The chorus was way nicer. We enjoyed it.
Once the steelpan version was completed, I got my plastic bag with the booklets out. It was another surprise I had for them. They were already sorted so that I would distribute them. I mentioned that the books were gifts to the school via a particular area or office within the compound and not to a specific person. They understood.
The last and eleventh book remaining in my bookbag was left with Principal for Miss Robin who composed the melody. One book was given to the Principal’s Office. One book was given to the Vice Principal’s office. Three books were sent to the Music Room. Three books were sent to the library for archival and safeguarding. The final two books were given to the Administration Office.
In my view, as the Form One version as a Hillview student, I can now feel satisfied that notation in every necessary way for the school song is created and is available. It would be easily accessible throughout the school and no longer scarce.
YOUTUBE VIDEO.
** Monday 21 August 2023 **
This afternoon I decided to put together the arrangement and photographs that I was given on my visit to the school into a YouTube video. There were six recordings done. Unfortunately, after six attempts, the quality of the visuals was still not pleasing. I am glad that this project is finally completed after an entire academic year of waiting. In addition, I hope that it provides a useful tool in assisting the students to learn their school song.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Monday 24th October 2022)
[St. George’s College (WEEK 4) – Day #14-16]
DAY 14.
** Tuesday 11th October 2022 **
The school’s email told us that today was day one. I spent some time yesterday coming up with a worksheet for my Form One students to do in absence of our class. We also had a departmental meeting that started at 8:30 and then at 10:30 right after there was a staff meeting also on zoom.
I did not get the link to the first meeting on time so I took the time to write up the email. I was not sure exactly what I would say in that first email as a ‘teacher’ but I did fine. Only later in the evening, I harsh disappointment myself when I did not ask the people to reply. It would have been the only way to count attendance. Still have to find out who has working emails and some were from parents.
In the staff meeting, we had a short wait and then a prayer was said. Some events that occurred cannot be recorded here in the journal. We heard from some of the teachers present in school that the corridors were not very safe and some of them were leaking. I had a very weird feeling from one of the school’s five emails over the days about us having to be present in the staffroom and not being able to teach. Daddy’s response to it was true in a way.
The meeting concluded at 1:40. At one o’clock, I was having my lunch at the dining table still wondering about everything and listening to the meeting. I fell flat on the couch afterwards. It was a lot to take in.
Today I was sooooo very late to ‘work’. That extra hour on the bed felt good that I awoke from the last phone screaming at 7:30. I darted into the shower and got the computer some minutes after eight. This was probably the latest so far.
I had music with Form One Mitchell for periods one and two. They got their emails and then Form One got theirs some minutes after twelve. The same issue with emails not working or could not be reached occurred. Now all the Form Ones had the worksheet; I hoped.
That night I constructed the answer sheet because I did not want to wait for the morning and have the class waiting. I was glad the information was able to fit on one sheet of letter-sized paper. Since there were two classes for the day, I spent the entire evening writing the attendance forms and then marking the student present on the new register sheets that I made. (The link above applied to this section.)
Daryl Zion M. Ali
(8:02am – 3:00pm)
DAY 15.
**Thursday 13th October 2022**
Today One Mitchell was the first to get the answers to review the worksheet. Some email replies were still coming in from two days ago and the other two classes. I’m gonna have to have a nice chat about that when the next scheduled time comes for them.
More of the lesson plans continued. I was able to do four lessons for the second term this week. Hopefully, by the weekend I would get to do some more or maybe finish that term and be typing them up.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 9th October 2022)
[St. George’s College (WEEK 3) – Day #13]
Dear Diary,
This morning I had the music room opened. As usual, I would turn on the light in the pan room and adjust the air conditioning for when the students come. I would do the same in the music classroom and then straighten up the chairs in preparation for the day of class.
Miss Roberts still had her books of stuff on the desk to look at or teaching books that were supposed to be on the inventory list. I was able to resource the Trinity Grade 1 piano book and sight-read fifteen measures of a piece. It had the word legend in it. The weather changed rapidly into the night and heavy rain burst down.
The two of us were taking the new inventory list of the equipment and furniture that was for the music classroom and the steelpan room. I had offered her to write it when she said that her handwriting wasn’t that good. We spent a long while trying to figure out where the stands and books went. Instead, we made a new list in the school’s book for what was there and Miss Roberts gave me the job to create a list for both rooms.
I recall one of the ladies that came suggested we printed a list of it and had it stuck on the walls in both rooms. The colours for that form were decorated in the school colours red, green, and blue. I wanted Miss Roberts
I recall one of the ladies that came suggested we printed a list of it and had it stuck on the walls in both rooms. The colours for that form were decorated in the school colours red, green, and blue. I wanted Miss Roberts to check over the list but she had to take it by email to leave school.
During lunchtime, I was approached by two students at my table. It was a boy and a girl and they had brought me a lovely. I did not read it until near the end of lunchtime. It was most appreciated. There was a very short presentation done by three upper-six Music students. I did get an opportunity to give feedback and comments too on their practice after Miss Roberts.
The Form One Farell class was not fully there. The majority had already gotten parents to take them home because of the weather and we decided to cancel the class. The whole school had emptied out and the remaining students were in the hall. We only had three minutes until 2:30. Aunty Vangy had come to pick me up and I got to share with them the card that the students gave me. The rain did not come down until the next morning.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Sunday 8 October 2022)
[Week #3; Day #11]
Dear Diary,
I came in early and Miss Roberts entered the music sometime after assembly. It was nice to see her after the time she was away from school. She seemed better than last Thursday when we spoke. When we spoke at her table there was a form that she wanted me to make for her. It was a form for students taking part in the San Fest Competition in the various categories they wanted to enter.
The form took a double period (3rd & 4th) to create during her Upper Six Music class. It was not difficult at all to do. I selected legal-sized paper for the list and wrote out the information Miss Roberts wanted. The three girls were preparing for a presentation as part of their School Based Assessment (SBA). I also had some input in it while sitting at the back of the classroom to access a plug for the laptop charger.
That morning I had a double period with Form One Mitchell. The students told me that the timetable had been changed and I was given a double period of music with them. I was glad because I now did not have to divide the lesson in half for tomorrow but teach the entire second lesson. It was better that way for me.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 8 October 2022)
[St. George’s College (WEEK 2) – Day #7]
Dear Diary,
This morning after getting to the door outside of the music room it was locked. I had to go back to the office in front of the school to see if the keys were in the key cabinet. When I opened out the cabinet door it was not there. A boy and I were looking for it and soon the other music students.
Some time into the first period, we did not find it until we asked Dr Sookdeo to make an announcement or the period with the keys to bring it. It always felt like a nightmare when the keys go missing. We got it and some remained while the others went back to class. The boy got the keys from the guard. Someone left the keys with the guard because the office was locked after the steel ensemble practice last evening.
That evening I took the key to the music room and sped up the road to get to Curepe. I wanted to see if I could have gotten the keys copied the quickest because I was expecting the printer guy to drop the new printers and set them up for me. Thankfully the keys did not take long to make. However, as we crossed the bus route to get to McLeod Street daddy was telling me to “make sure dey work ‘cause not all does work sometimes.”
When I got home, I had some quick reshuffling to do and got ready but the guy came late. I took the time and created a class attendance form. I did not have a class attendance register that Miss Roberts has as yet. For me, I found it better for the students to write their names and then I could get into teaching the lesson immediately. This form did not take very long to make.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Wednesday 5 October 2022)
Dear Diary,
Today the staff room was empty because of the TUTTA day. I went through the stuff that I had worked on with Miss Roberts too and she had approved it. I got some feedback on the lesson plans. I also emailed her the music for the St. George’s college song. She had to make prints of them for the ensemble’s rehearsal next week Monday.
I did not have a class in the morning but I sat with Miss Roberts asking her about the National Anthem that I would have heard some of the younger children coming to practice all week during recess and lunchtime. She said that she was using a score that she found online. There were two she found and
When I got to see a copy of the first page for the full score, I was very surprised and shocked. I recognised it immediately. I was right when I looked down at the title because I saw it was an adaptation done by me. I did not even remember I had done this since my certificate time at UWI in September 2015. So, it seems as if the band would not be learning two of my arrangements.
That evening I had the first form one class to try the first lesson. It started well but then there was a murmur group of seven girls pooling their heads in a circle to talk about a lot. I wasn’t able to settle them and then after was a ‘happy group’ towards the end.
I did not get to do pitches on the treble staff but we spoke on what is music, the uses and purposes of music, music theory, a strategy for remembering music theory, the staff and drawing the treble clef.
I was told by Miss Roberts that as a teacher I had to get a class register and take attendance for the class done. I felt that as an OJT they might not want to give me one so I decided to take a blank sheet of paper and create a list for it. I have decided that I would work on making one for myself and also a roll sheet that I saw Miss Roberts using.
Actual Date of Online Entry: (Saturday 5 November 2022)
Dear Diary,
The journal entry below is a compilation of recorded events related to the creation of the steelpan version of St. George's College Song.
CREATION OF STEELBAND ARRANGEMENT.
** Monday 19 September 2022. **
[Week #1; Day #1]
Today was my first day being an OJT trainee at St. George’s College. Daddy and I left the house at 6:45 in the morning and took a bus on the bus route to Barataria. I entered the compound at exactly 7:25 by security. Coming down the road to the school, I was worried because I forgot my identification card at home.
The lobby area was the corridor entering the administrative area and I met two other new persons who come in that day. We got to see the morning assembly gather around the school. It was a completely different experience than Hillview’s morning assembly. This assembly was short and interesting. Many students sang and played different instruments.
When the assembly was over, I waited and waited. The boy and girl with me had already met their supervisors and went on with them. Sometime around 9:32, I met Miss Roberts. She had come to sign in the office and then took me to rest my bags in the music room.Upon entering the music room, it was like heaven. Something I wished Hillview could have had. They made it up like a classroom, with instruments and a really beautiful piano. I was not sure if they had a steelband.
We had to leave the music room becausethere was a function to start in the hall soon and Miss Roberts had to wait with the students who had to perform. The national anthem was done, and a vocal piece was done by two girls at the end. The college song was also performed at the end of that function. I stood from the chairs they gave us and waited extremely patiently to hear what it would sound like.
When it was over, I was amazed. I liked the melody a lot. I knew it was a different school altogether but the song comforted me. I began to wonder if there was a score for it. Unfortunately, just like Hillview and Vessigny, Miss Roberts told me that the school did not have the melody notated.
On the other hand, Miss Roberts did manage to show me from her computer what she had “tried to write it out” over the summer vacation for the COVID-19 period. I went quickly to see what she did and I was happy because it was a good start to having something on paper. We had some technical difficulties when the computer spoiled the work she did.
I decided to mentally plan over the entire college song as if it was to be a steelpan arrangement because it would be easy to write it out when I got back home. All day I thought of the rhythmic structure for the middle and back of the frontline pans.
I told Miss Roberts that I would not disturb the notation that she worked so hard to do. I wanted to do my version before I ended up spoiling what she did. Some minutes after half-eight that night, I was able to complete the entire arrangement. A lot of gladness came to me. Miss Roberts messaged me back and she said that it was good enough for the steelband to use.
Link(s):
College Song Recording. ** [For Request by Email.]
ASSISTANCE, PLEASE.
** Tuesday 20 September 2022. **
[Week #1; Day #2]
On my way out of the school’s compound, I saw Miss Ramsaran and asked her for help in finding the name of the St. George’s College Song, the name of the person(s) that composed the lyrics, and the name of the person(s) that composed the melody. I hope that within time Mr Sammy or someone might be able to tell us what the 3 answers are. I’m glad and grateful that Mrs Sookdeo was approving of what I had done as the steelpan version of their college song.
THE STUDENTS' HANDBOOK.
** Wednesday 21 September 2022. **
[Week #1; Day #3]
While I was working at my desk in the staffroom, I met Miss Ramsaran as she spoke to me from the side of my desk and she said that she was waiting for something for me on the college song. Some time had gone by and she returned by the desk to hand me a book. It was fascinating looking through the book. I admired how detailed and well done-it was made. I had some cherished chats with my neighbouring desk persons.
Heading up home in the car onto Green Street, the rain finally broke out. I got to finish inserting the names of the persons responsible for the St. George’s college song. It appeared to be surnames in my view as Bailey & Campbell. The book did not mention a name for the song itself so I decided I would call it “Onto Victory” as it’s a temporary title or until someone alive can state otherwise. I also took their logo and crest from the school’s website to make it a part of the score for decoration.
Link(s):
St. George’s Student’s Guide. **
Full Journal Entry: (Week 1) – Day #3. **
SCORE VIDEO GUIDANCE.
** Friday 23 September 2022. **
[Week #1; Day #5]
I went to the office and asked about the procedure for requesting photocopies for when I might need some in the classes further on. The details sounded like a lot of run-around so I didn’t want to try it again. Dr Sookdeo walked out of her office and met me before leaving the compound and we had a really nice conversation. I had gotten her permission to create a video of the St. George’s college song just like Hillview’s College song once I had let Miss Roberts verify the music that I did.
Link(s):
Hillview College’s School Song. **
STRUMMING AMENDMENTS.
** Monday 17 October 2022. **
[Week #7; Day #26]
I went back to the office and sat in the classroom next door for the majority of the day working on the steelpan version of St. George’s College. I changed the strumming in the introduction. All the pans for verses one and two carried the same rhythmic pattern.
At first, I thought that it was not a good gamble. I told myself that even though it worked in Tunapuna Secondary School’s Song this one might have had a different outcome. There was a lot of playing around with the introduction until I finally got something that worked. My only insecurity was the effectiveness of the bassline. Towards the end of this exercise, the score became version four.
VERSE TWO'S CORRECTION.
** Monday 31st October 2022. **
[Week #7; Day #25]
Today was the first working day for St. George’s College at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) campus in Valsayn. In the last thirty minutes before school finished, I got my way back to Block K to work on the melody for the college song. The ‘children’ in the staffroom were noisy as usual. Miss Roberts and I tried really hard to listen to the video with the children in the video singing the St. George’s College song. The second verse had a change in only one measure. I was glad that the review went by in that short space of time.
INTRODUCTION STRUMMING PATTERNS.
** Tuesday 1st November 2022. **
[Week #7; Day #26]
Today the school had home periods for periods one and two. I was supposed to have 1 Mitchell for those two periods.I went back to the office and worked at George’s College. I changed the strumming in the introduction. All the pans for verses one and two carried the same rhythmic pattern.
At first, I thought that it was not a good gamble. I told myself that even though it worked in Tunapuna Secondary School’s Song this one might have had a different outcome. There was a lot of playing around with the introduction until I finally got something that worked. My only insecurity was the effectiveness of the bassline. Towards the end of this exercise, the score became version four.
By the middle of lunch, I was able to complete typing out the end-of-term exam for the form ones. I did not mind that the room was hot. However, a lot of sleep was being fought. Did not know why that was happening. Last night I stood up after getting the zeal and two more questions to make up the comprehension section. I had lunch afterwards. The exam paper was reviewed by Miss Roberts and it was ready for class. I just have to figure out how to do copies at school.
MASTER SCORE – SHORT VERSION.
** Saturday 12 November 2022. **
Today I tried to create more space on the full score (double tenors and double seconds now share the same staff). At first, I had nicknamed it ‘short version’ but the Musescore programme was able to play the full steelpan arrangement.
I took that particular file as the one to represent St. George’s College anthem. I also took the St. George’s Logo I could finally get from Thursday evening and added it to the Musescore file. All these changes made the song become the fourth version.
COLLEGE SONG BOOKLETS.
** Friday 18th November 2022. **
[Week 9; Day #39]
This evening the booklets with copies of all the steelpan parts were created and compiled into a book. They were spiral bound. I still yet have to wait for Dr Sookdeo to approve the ‘experimental’ video before it was sent off to YouTube. On Monday 21st of the following week, this book was only shown to one teacher before a warning was sent to me. I had the books packed up and returned them to the plastic bag. This remained on the desk for another three weeks.
On this morning, a message was sent to Dr. Sookdeo for approval on a score video of the St. George’s College Song. It is one minute and twenty-one seconds in duration. I still await feedback. I hope that it works. There were not many good images on the internet of the front of the school. I found a beautifully captured image of the school’s hall from the quadrangle. The video felt like more was missing. I just wished that more of the history was available.
SCORE VIDEO 2ND ATTEMPT.
** Monday 5 December 2022 **
[Week 12; Day #49]
The second video attempt was created on this day and replaced the first attempt. The duration remained the same. To this date, there was no approval or responses given on the first attempt. I feel as if I may just have to go ahead without Dr Sookdeo’s approval and send the video online. Somehow things are moving strangely around the area. It getting worst that more serious that the first week. I hope nothing bad happens.
THE LAST THREAD.
** Wednesday 7 December 2022 **
[Week 12; Day #51]
Today was the deadline for online marks for the term. I had a bitter conversation with Miss Roberts over the phone from the office at my desk on Monday. I understood and listened. I did not continue because my heart was ‘stabbed’ on that day.
Today Miss ‘Rough-Tops’ was out again and she attacked me at the gates for a second time. In the quick moments going into the eighth period, I shouted out my dissatisfaction in the echoing corridor at the message from someone on the song. I don’t think this piece will be continuing. As of now, it will be put to rest. The entire next day presented an episode against me that was not pleasing.
YOUTUBE VIDEO.
** Tuesday 3rd January 2023 **
[ St. George’s College (WEEK 14)– Day #55 [1/1] ]
Today was the start of the new school term. As soon as I got home, I went right ahead and uploaded the St. George’s College song video. Before I could even do that, I had to do over a recording of the Musescore file playing out the song. The experimental version had difficulty. Thankfully, this did not take me more than ten minutes to do and the uploading.
Looking back at the video, I felt satisfied that the song came out well but I did not like having to wait and be stalled for a week. I still hope that this recording would be useful to teach the students the song. This too was also a DAPHA Project.
