If you aren’t a music student here at CHS, which many are not, you may not have ever been down to the band room. At a glance, rooms M-1 and M-2 are spacious, filled with chairs instruments, music stands and the inevitable layer of dust; they may not seem to be anything special. But little known to a significant part of the student body, this is where a particular brand of magic happens. Otherwise known as…Steel Band.

"It just looked like fun,” junior steel band member Lindsay Land said, on clarifying her reason for joining.

Ana Maisel, another junior member, joined after seeing first hand just how fun it could be. “I had friends that were in it, so I thought I would audition. They always seemed like they had fun so I was like, oh, I want to do that.” she said with a shrug.

For those of you who don’t understand the basic breakdown of the band, it goes like this; there are seven different steel drums, or pans in the Catonsville ensemble. Instruments can consist of one, two, three, four or six pans.

The inside of a pan, as described by the band director, Jim Wharton can be commonly compared to a turtle shell. The drums are dome shaped pieces of metal formed into small sections, each shape that plays a different note. For a lower pitch, or note, you need a larger shape. As the shape gets larger, you need more drum space. So, the instruments with the most pans create a lower pitch.

In Catonsville’s Steel Drum Band, 25 different members play seven different pans; lead pan, double tenor pans, double second pans, guitar pans, cello pans, four bass pans and six bass pans.

If you’re considering joining Steel Band, don’t be intimidated by all of the technical terms. Many of the players had no prior experience playing the drum, as it’s a slightly obscure instrument.

“You don’t even need to know how to play, or read music to join,” Maisel confessed.

The band, one of the only two high school steel bands in the state, travels to all kinds of locations all over three different states. Donning their signature Hawaiian attire, they’ve played in retirement homes, churches, synagogues, elementary schools, jazz festivals, outdoor festivals, cathedrals, craft fairs, and hotels, to name a few.

“All the old ladies at the retirement home think Wesley [Boone] is just the cutest thing,” Land joked.

Maisel also thinks Wesley is the cutest thing.

“He’s our ‘fun friend’!” she said.

Here at Catonsville, Steel Drum Band is famous for its carefree, fun attitude. Seeing their performances is like watching a jam session on stage; they dance, move, jump around and sway along to the music.

“You can be crazy, and fun, it’s all fine. The best part is hanging out all the time, we went to an arcade once it was really fun…we all agreed to make a fun pact,” Land shared.

If you think you want to join in on the fun, the members agree, you are certainly welcome. Just bring a fun, friendly attitude.

“If you join, and you’re cool we like you…as long as you show potential and a fun personality, you’re welcome,” Maisel commented.
New members are certainly welcome, but the veterans will certainly be missed.

“I’m going to miss all the seniors,” Wesley Boone, a lead pan player in the band said.

Steel Band has proved itself to be a top notch extra-curricular here at CHS. It’s recognition as a great program is well deserved.