The national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan, will be used to play the US national anthem at an official NBA game played by the Miami Heat in the forthcoming 2007/2008 season. This is a result of NBC game-show winner Arthur Joseph on Deal Or No Deal.

Neal and Massy Trinidad All Stars walked away with the top prize of an unprecedented TT$1 million at the 2007 National Panorama Finals held before a large crowd at Skinner Park, San Fernando, on Saturday.

In an effort to placate the steel orchestras from San Fernando, none of which has made it to the finals of the 2007 bmobile National Panorama Championships, Pan Trinbago is considering taking ten bands to the finals instead of the initial eight.

Two of four semi-final leaders in their respective groupings were toppled Saturday night, as the 2006 Steelband Panorama competition climaxed with Digicel Phase II Pan Groove displacing Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars in the large band category and, at the same event, Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille losing its berth to Sforzata.

Master musician Clive Bradley, internationally revered for his work as arranger for the Witco Desperadoes steel orchestra, passed away yesterday at Port of Spain General Hospital, four days after suffering a stroke at home.

Trinidad - My first trip to Trinidad was in 1989 which was part of my research for my dissertation. At that time there was only a handful of women who played pan in Invaders; today the number of women in the large bands are equal in number to the men (partly due to the gradual acceptance of pan by the culture).

Antigua - In Antigua and Barbuda, that special dot on the world map, where I?m from, it is an exciting time for women. We have found our voices and unveiled our talents and we are unstoppable. We have taken on the men in traditional ?men? activities and are excelling.

Dr. Dawn Batson, associate professor of music, holds degrees from renowned institutes of higher education. Her Ph.D in music and international affairs from the University of Miami, an M.M. is but one. She was most recently associate professor and director of the steel band music program at Florida Memorial College. Over the years Dr. Batson has fulfilled a number of roles in many countries - including performer, arranger, conductor, teacher, judge, composer, musical director, lecturer, grant writer and producer.

Fashion week in New York is over, but the runway on the stage at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, is what we want to talk about now. For the medium steel bands which competed in the prestigious annual National Panorama competition in the twin-island republic, creativity held reign. While the uniforms were more low-key than their larger counterparts, most of the steel bands had artistic logos on their shirts.

The nothing but steel band music show Pan On The Net Radio set new attendance records for this past Trinidad and Tobago carnival season. It has swept college campuses with most giving the programme a grade A.