Key to Sion Hill Euphonium’s victory was preparation – Chair

The key to the Sion Hill Euphonium Steel Orchestra regaining the senior Panorama title was preparation, according to chair of the band Warren Knights.

Reflecting on the band’s seventh title gained at the Steel and Glitter Show at Victoria Park on June 30, Knights told SEARCHLIGHT that a lot of planning went into this year’s lead up.{{more}}

“We looked back on the areas where we went wrong last year during our executive meetings and what needed to be fixed, among them was that we were complacent…. We thought we could not lose, that we were unbeatable, having won six straight titles,” Knights said.

In planning for the 2016 Panorama, Knights disclosed, “We started the song early… The choice of song (Tone by Becket) was made early; the arranger was pleased with the song and everything we did not do last year, we tried to fix it this time.

“We started practice earlier than usual…. Even though Seion [Gomez – the band arranger] was unable to come up early from Trinidad, he sent up Koreece Graham, who spent two weeks and within that two weeks we already had six minutes of music…. It tested the mettle of the band, the ability of the players, as they became very comfortable with the song,” Knights related.

He noted that the approach this year was also different, in that the music was given to the entire band, instead of giving it some players, who would in turn pass it on to the others.

The SHESO chair also stressed the improvement in discipline in the pan yard among the players, such as adhering to time, being disciplined in the use of cell phones and other devices, which he said were a distraction during last year’s practice sessions.

Knights underscored some of several practices which the band undertook to help to set the right tone.

“Every night they will come in their designated colours and each night someone was chosen to offer prayers before and after practice; that was also helpful in the players being focussed,” Knights related.

Knights said this led to the band going into the competition on the night very confident, but not cocky.

“On the night, when Starlift finished playing, I smiled because I knew what we had to bring to the table… I knew what we had put in and we delivered and executed well,” he recalled.

Sharing Knights’ sentiments was his younger brother Tillal Webb, who is also the band’s captain.

Webb said that the entire organization, from the executive down to the players, all came out with a renewed energy this year, which resulted in the band taking back the title, which it had “loaned” to Starlift in 2015.

Webb singled out the players for taking in six minutes of music in two weeks, instead of two minutes in two weeks, as was the norm.

Gratitude

The band’s captain thanked the Sion Hill community not only for their support on the night at the Victoria Park, but “for putting up with the noise for the whole Carnival season, because it is not easy to hear steel pan at all odd hours of the morning.”

Knights also thanked all the corporate sponsors, including Flow, Right Stuff, the National Lotteries Authorities, The Mustique Charitable Trust, Arabesque, The Mustique Company, First Caribbean International Bank, National Properties, East Caribbean Group of Companies, East Caribbean Metals, Julian Francis and CK Greaves and Company, who he said were among those who contributed to the Sion Hill Euphonium’s cause.

Knights was also thankful to persons in the community who assisted, such as welder and driver Douglas Thomas; electrician Lawrence Williams; those who provided food during practice sessions; the designated pan movers; the dedicated persons who frequented the pan yard; parents, players, and other well-wishers.

Knights said he believes that the Sion Hill community both here and in the diaspora is richer and closer knit following this year’s senior Panorama win.

Both he and Webb confirmed that plans are already in train to defend the title in 2017, as they are cognizant it is harder to defend than to win.(RT)