RASPO Juniors - Beginners Steel Band Workshops

RASPO Juniors are running a series of beginners steel band workshops at CultureMix Arts & Music Centre in Reading, starting Wednesday 4 November. They run every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:30pm on 4, 11, 18, 25 November and 2, 9 December, so it's a six-week run rather than a one-off. The sessions are led by their specialist steel pan music tutors, and they're open to absolute beginners as well as children and young people who've already had a go at steel pan at school.

It's for all ages from seven up, though the seven-to-nine-year-olds need to be accompanied by an adult. You don't need to bring anything with you — all instruments and equipment are provided. The workshops are run by RASPO, a children's steel band that's performed on the BBC's Blue Peter, and they're a gateway to more music at CultureMix Arts, an international music and carnival arts company rooted in African Caribbean culture, from the steel pan and Carnival masquerade of Trinidad and Tobago to Jamaican reggae. CultureMix is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and a not-for-profit, and they focus on the professional development of young people, offering internship and work experience programmes in the creative industries. People who've come along have praised the supportive team and the tutor Mary, and noted that the workshops help keep steel pan and Caribbean music alive in the local community.

Under-16s go free, and over-16s are £10 per session. That's the practical side: Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm on 4, 11, 18, 25 November and 2, 9 December at CultureMix Arts & Music Centre, 7 Queens Walk, Reading RG1 7QF.