Venice Gets Steel Drums

Annette Morelos, Reporter

Venice High School will be getting steel drums and a drum class will be added to the schedule. “They’re on their way, we should have them by second semester.” said band instructor David Lee.

Drew Holt, from Santa Monica College, is coming and he is going to be teaching the class. Anyone is free to join.

Steel drums originated in the Caribbean. They are not the same kind of drums that the band uses.

“The steel drum is a really hard instrument to play,” said Wendy Sarnoff, the music teacher. Steel drums have little ‘pans’ with their own key, so the drummers have to be really fast and know what right keys to hit.

Ms. Sarnoff said “playing the steel drums is easier if you know how to play the piano or if you’ve been in choir.” If you learn to play them correctly, it will sound wonderful.