The jaunty and cheerful noise of steel drums is perhaps a strange sound to hear echoing through the halls of WHHS at seven in the morning. This strange phenomenon can be traced back to a room tucked away in the lower level of the music lyceum, where an assorted mix of staff members create soothing melodies and energetic tunes.
The faculty and staff steel drum band is a new addition this school year. Established by Edward LeBorgne, the head of the steel drum band program, it is open to all faculty and staff members that are willing to wake up early and have an interest in music.
LeBorgne has had the idea of forming a faculty band for a while, but finally initiated it this year.
“I think that ever since COVID, sometimes the [staff] morale is not great,” LeBorgne said. “I just thought that this would be a great way to build community and allow teachers to have some fun.”
Currently, the band is mostly focused on reviewing the basics, but has been transitioning into learning their first two songs, which they will perform during a concert on Nov. 17, free for all WHHS students.
The inclusive and lively atmosphere is part of the reason that many of the staff members decided to join.
“Whenever you see the steel drum [band] perform, they look like they’re having so much fun,” Blake Taylor, English teacher and member of the band, said. “It’s just a hoot. They’re dancing and having a great time up on stage. Those reasons are plenty for why I decided to try it out.”
Taylor is one of 17 faculty members playing in the band. With practice starting at 7 a.m., many of the musicians have had to wake up earlier than usual. However, some have found that this early start gives them an extra spring in their step for the rest of the day.
“There’s something about the beat of a Calypso song, it’s like an earworm,” Nick Lander, Latin teacher and a member of the band, said. “It stays with you and raises good spirits. Listening to that music and then coming in and playing for a while, it really is one of the best ways to start my day.”
For many of the staff members, this is not the first time they have dabbled in playing an instrument: Taylor has played harmonica, guitar, piano and percussion and Lander has taught himself several instruments as well.
Another teacher in the band, Charli Philpot, a teacher in the Student Success Center, played in the steel drum band when she was a student here.
“I had a lot of fun when I did it and I wanted to do something to get me outside of my comfort zone and get out of the basement,” Philpot said. “I was surprised at how much it did come back to me.”
For many of the members, learning a new instrument has not come as easy. Shannon Montiel, a Spanish teacher, joined the band due to a love of Caribbean style music but has had some early difficulties.
“It feels really hard,” Montiel said. “We’ve only been practicing for maybe a month and it’s only twice a week. It can be hard to remember things week to the next. You have to have your own steel drums to be able to practice outside of class.”
Despite the learning curve, the staff members all agree that LeBorgne has made learning a new instrument accessible and understandable.
“Mr. LeBorgne is, and this is one teacher to another, excellent at what he does,” Taylor said. “He’s very good, and I’m saying that both as a musician and as a teacher.”
No matter the experience levels of the members involved, the end result is one of harmony and unity.
“It’s cool that we’re not all playing the same exact notes at [the same time], but then when you hear it together, it’s a bigger sound than any one instrument could get all by itself,” Lander said.