Every Tuesday and Friday, seniors from the Abe Stark Steel Pan Band gather to practice — a gathering for health, companionship and competition. Most recently, they performed in the NYC Department of Aging’s Talent is Timeless grand finale, a talent show for New Yorkers ages 65 and better at the United Palace Theater in Washington Heights last Thursday, Oct. 10.
They ultimately did not take home the gold, but they still showcased their musical chops and represented their home borough of Brooklyn. 13 older adults from various ethnic backgrounds make up the band.
“Almost all the Caribbean islands, including French-speaking and some Spanish-speaking islands, play the steel pan,” said band member Patricia Williams. “It’s the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s played in almost all of the islands. Our group is made up of people from all of the islands, including someone who is American born.”
The only barrier to entry is being a member of the Abe Stark Older Adult Center (or another Millennium Development-owned active adult center), hence, the band’s name.
Williams recalls the band’s formation dating back to an early desire to play the steel pan. Millennium Development, which owns Abe Stark Older Adult Center, had come across some city council funding which ultimately went towards starting the group.
“Performing in the band gives us more confidence in our abilities,” said member Arnold Akong. “It’s a good idea for older adults to stay engaged because I think it helps the mental faculties.”
“We do it together as a team,” said member Pat Nurse. “When we set up the music and we go to different places, we are together. We work as one.”
Outside of competitions, the band also performs for fellow adult center residents.
More than 1,000 acts participated in the competition, with the Steel Pan Band making it into the final 22 after three rounds; the group performed strongly in those earlier competitions, finishing second in the preliminaries and second place in the semifinals.
“The Talent is Timeless series is a beautiful, heartwarming, and remarkable demonstration of what makes New York City’s older adults so wonderful,” Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, said in her statement. “More than 20 acts in the finale performed comedy, music, or dance routines and showed that skill, stage presence and engagement with their craft are truly ageless.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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