Little Kenny Isles – a genius in the making

He is the son of one of this country’s famous panists, Ken Isles, and already he has shown that he can walk in the footsteps of his father.

At just five-years-old Kennie Isles may be the youngest pannist in this country but his love for music started years ago.{{more}}

According to his mother Nivette, Kennie started showing interest in music at only three months. She said that he would sense music in every sound around him. At three months he was familiar with the sound of the car engine and would dance as his father turned it on.

But his first pan playing experience was at nine months when he started walking. He would walk over to a serving tray that was held by an ornate cat and would beat on it using two packs of chewing gum as pan sticks.

As he grew a little taller but obviously still not tall enough, Kennie would also climb up to the seat of a chair where he would stand to get some height and beat endlessly on the pan.

At four his dad thought it was time to teach him a song and one of Kennie’s first choices was the National Anthem, the second was

“St.Vincent, my homeland” by Calypsonian Alston “Becket” Cyrus. But his father decided on the nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

This he learnt and played at his graduation from Happy Days Pre School at just 4-years-old. He went on to play for the Methodist Church Pre-School graduation and at the Iguana for a prize giving ceremony for children.

So far he has leant the songs “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “The Alphabet Song,” “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” “Happy Birthday to You” and has started practising the National Anthem again.

Kennie celebrated his 5th birthday on October 20, and he is a now a pupil of the Kingstown Preparatory School. He wants to be a policeman and a doctor. But one of Kennie’s biggest fans is his Grandmother for whom he played on her birthday.