Popular mass costume designer, Keeshan ‘Banker’ Walyn teaches participating youths about the fife’s musical structure during an April 27 training session.

This time, he promises, will be even better, especially because of the presence of veteran fifer, Joseph Pollock.

“We have the real fiferman, who has been involved in fife playing and fife making for over 50 years,” Nisbett informed. “He has had one of his legs amputated, and that’s why he wasn’t able to come to the last workshop. However, now he is going to be able to come at least twice per week, from 10:00 in the morning until 3:00, which is good enough because if they get two days with Mr. Pollock, it is like getting ten months with him. He is the real thing.”

Seasoned instrumentalist Elvette De Costa, better known as ‘De Mighty Anando,’ who functioned in the same role during the previous training workshop, will teach the banjo, quatro, and quitar lessons.

“Mr. Da Costa can teach,” Nisbett enthused, “So you have two great teachers.”

The up-coming workshop is the fourth iteration of the fife/banjo/guitar/quarto musical training sessions administrated over by the Doctor of Culture. The first was held about 12 years ago at the MIS Hall, and was by sponsored by Barclays Bank; the second, which took place roughly three years ago, was funded through FirstCaribbean International Bank and was held at the International House Museum and Edgar Challenger Library. The sponsoring entities remained the same, however, as Barclays merged with the West Indies operations of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce to form FirstCaribbean in 2001.

The aforementioned third training workshop, also held at the Challenger Library, officially opened on Monday, April 26, and concluded on Saturday, May 22. The National Olympic Association of St. Kitts and Nevis and its president, Alphonso Bridgewater, provided the sponsorship. Sessions ran from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

The current workshop is scheduled to be unveiled on Monday, July 26, and will extend through Saturday, August 21. Sessions will be held from 10:00 – 3:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The official opening ceremony will take place on the International House Museum grounds on July 26, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Among those who will speak to the assembled participants and guests are Denzil Crooke, Managing Director of Delisle Walwyn, government consultant Donald Cable, and the aforesaid Alphonso Bridgewater. Pastor Eustace Rollins has been invited to invoke God’s blessings on the proceedings.

Nisbett informed that some of the youthful participants will be the same as in the April-May workshop, mainly those who were learning the fife and banjo, but that a number of them would be coming on board for the first time.

The desired characteristics present in those selected for the new group include consistency and stick-to-itiveness, as well as a thirst for learning.

“We don’t want more than 25, because we had 30-something last time, and some of them dropped out,” Nisbett said. “We want to make sure that we have the right type of kids, because we don’t want them coming out of there not learning anything. I want to make sure that they capitalize on what they have learned, and discipline will be an important factor.”

“The main objective is to create a sort of cultural awakening in our country,” he continued. “Fifers are needed badly, so we are going to put a special emphasis on that.”

As to the accomplishments of the participants in the April-May training sessions, Nisbett had nothing but plaudits.

“They came out on top with the fife in a short time,” he rhapsodized. “They were superb.”

He also related that a select number went out to play with Nisbett’s band on several occasions, and that he plans to expand the performance repertoire of the up-coming group to include venues such as hotels and beaches.

The previous group also performed in front of St. Pauls Primary School, where most of the student attended.

“It was excellent,” said Nisbett. “They really displayed their talents there.”

More school performances are likely to be in the offing, as well. In addition, the Doctor of Culture is looking down the road to Carnival, when the youngsters will have to learn to play with a band, inclusive of such acquired skills as how to perform alongside kettledrums, bass drums, and other instruments.

There are also plans to incorporate the musical training sessions into schools, and he is currently working with Saddlers High School to do so.

In all, Nisbett sees the workshops as part of a larger effort to provide a sense of personal structure to the Federation’s young people.

“Generally,” he said, “we want to help the youth get organized and have them occupied with something productive and creative at the same time.”