The story of the steelpan has been written through the lives of the people who made the instrument rather than the evolution of the instrument itself and the sounds it produced; sounds which impacted the society and which continue to do so today, regardless of musical genres. This study focuses on the thoughts and emotions experienced during and after listening to the pan and qualitatively evaluates whether repeated exposure to the sound of the pan influences those cognitive and emotional processes leading to feelings of well-being.

A semi-longitudinal study was conducted using an acoustic pan and individual data scripts were collected. Participants listened to the same scales, from which the fourteen notes that were tuned on Spree Simon’s pan would have been derived. It has been shown, through this research, that the sound vibrations of the pan have a positive effect on the listener, is able to evoke fond memories and inspire constructive thought thereby encouraging positive feelings leading to the overall enhancing of wellness. Furthermore, the feelings of well-being resulted in resolutions to implement behavioural changes in the future; chiefly with the aim of recreating the positive feelings and emotions associated with the pan. Also noted were differences in the types of feelings or thoughts evoked in listeners based on age, gender, and whether they had a previous history of interacting with the instrument.

Ms. SAVITRI RAMPERSAD is a steelpan enthusiast, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in the Performing Arts (Steelpan Performance) and a Master of Arts in Carnival Studies from The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). As the former Vice Captain of Nada Sangama Steel Orchestra, Savitri travelled and performed with the band from 2002 to 2011, when she left to pursue her academic studies. She has also played for panorama with Starlift Steel Orchestra and Tropical Angel Harps Steel Orchestra. She played with Trinidad All Stars/UTT Combined Steelband for the opening of the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), and in several shows and events, nationally and internationally. She acquired rudimentary knowledge in steelpan construction and tuning in 2005 and from 2012 -2014; a skill that led her to a deeper understanding of the pan’s resonant and vibrational qualities.

Savitri is also a Massage Therapist (DMT) with over seventeen years of experience, and the owner of Life Force Therapy. The business operates as a therapy centre, massage equipment supplier and training centre for therapists with all syllabi, for the over ten courses offered, having been designed and written by her. Wellness through therapy, sound and movement are naturally a part of her everyday life.

The desire to do research on the pan led her to start at the Certificate in Music Literacy in 2009 and now culminates in 2022 with this seminal work.