Meet Our Past APA Pan Fellows

Application Procedure, 2025-2026

Applicants are invited to apply within the following time period.

June 2nd, 2025 - Octoer 31st, 2025, for international fellows 

Advanced Pan Fellowship Certificate

Dates: January 5th to June 30th, 2026
Pre-requisites: None
Availability: Full Time or Part Time
Delivery Mode: Blended Online & In Person
Residential for International Applicants: Yes*
Travel Required for International Applicants: Yes*
Credits: 30 transferable credits
Qualification: Level 6 Certificate (see Caribbean Qualifications Framework)

Eligibility and Additional Information

Venue

• Blended Online
• UTT Campus at NAPA, Port of Spain, Trinidad

Eligibility

Applicants for the APA Pan Fellowship must be at least 18 years of age on the date of application.

Application Requirements

Applications will be welcome from persons already in a recognised programme of tertiary level study in Trinidad and Tobago, the CARICOM region or internationally. Applications will also be open to those who demonstrate advanced proficiency in steelpan and/or percussion and hold positions or authority in the music industry wherever they may be based. Applications will also be open to those who are advanced musicians seeking to further their knowledge in steelpan.

Mature Entry

Applicants who do not meet the criteria may be accepted under "Mature Entry." Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in steelpan and/or percussion, and hold a position of authority in the music industry, wherever they are based. Performers, teachers and band leaders are particularly welcome.

Entry Requirements for all candidates:

• Competitive Audition via Video Submission
• Music Literacy Assessment may be required
• Proficiency Diagnostic Assessment in English and Mathematics
• Interview

Activities

Instrumental Instruction

Students are assigned an appropriate teacher who also acts as their mentor overall. A combination of one-to-one and group tuition.

Ensemble Experience

This course focuses on the development of essential ensemble performance skills. Ensembles or Virtual Ensembles are created within the Pan Studio, with a repertoire set for each ensemble by the Studio Leader. Fellows will be required to do background listening, reading and practice as assigned in class. Opportunities to work alongside members of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra may be available for very advanced players.

Rhythms of the Engine Room

This course is designed to introduce Fellows to the rhythmic aspects of music within the culture of Trinidad and Tobago and the greater Caribbean. These will be studied in the context of the steelband ‘Engine Room’, including the history and evolution of rhythms, their purpose in society and performance practice.

History of Steelband

This course will chart the development of the Steelband Movement from Tamboo Bamboo to the present. Fellows will learn about the evolution of the steelpan, pioneers and prominent steelbands, past and present.

Pan Tuning

Pan Tuning courses will impart the theoretical aspects of building a steelpan. These will include an examination of the types of materials used and guide Fellows on how to identify quality drums.

Cultural Connections (Advanced Fellowship Only)

This seminar challenges Fellows to examine and redefine the way they view artistic space, culture, place and history, and refine their engagement with and in response to contemporary issues in the social and political world. The course also seeks to broaden the Fellows’ perception of career opportunities and deepen their knowledge of traditional and contemporary forms of expression in popular and “high” culture, particularly from the Trinbagonian point of view.

Carnival Immersion* (Advanced Fellowship Only)

As a community/industry placement, this course encourages participants to engage with any one of a range of cultural activities during the Carnival season, as appropriate to their discipline of study.

Pan Fellowship Internship* (Advanced Fellowship Only)

This course runs for twenty weeks from January to July and includes a full range of activities through Carnival and beyond. Fellows will be apprenticed to a master artist, expert craftsperson or organisation of importance within the steelband community of Trinidad and Tobago.

Programme Structure

The following courses will be available to fellows

Advanced Pan Fellowship

The Advanced Pan Fellowship courses include the courses listed above in addition to the following:

Ensemble (2 credits) - In person

Applied Music (2 credits) - In person

Cultural Connections (2 credits) = In person

Carnival Immersion (3 credits) - In person

Advanced Pan Fellowship Internship (6 credits) - In person

COST

Includes:

• Access to UTT/APA Instructors and Guest Lecturers
• Access to UTT/APA learning materials and resources, research facilities for performances and/or presentations
• Arts Incubator Sessions hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank

N.B. In all variants, an additional registration fee of TT $1200 will be charged for each semester of activity in the Pan Fellowship.

Application Procedure

STEP 1

Applicants for the APA Pan Fellowship are required to submit a Candidate Application Form. The Application Form will require the following information:

Personal information

Each applicant will be required to submit personal information such as name, address, phone number, date of birth, and other pertinent information.

A resume and/or curriculum vitae

Each applicant will be required to submit materials from his/her resume or a CV

A video recording (uploaded to YouTube)

Each applicant will be required to submit a recent solo performance or a compilation of recent solo performances (with or without an accompanist). The performances may be public or private but should be clearly audible and show the applicant in the frame at all times. The video(s) should be uploaded to YouTube as “unlisted” or “public.”

A Statement of Purpose

Each applicant will be required to submit in written prose, a statement of purpose in no fewer than 150 and no more than 300 words. This statement should include the applicant’s intentions within the programme and should also state future goals.