I first was introduced to pan by Jim Royle. As part of the percussion ensemble at the Jim Royle Drum Studio, we played in a steelband. Very eager to continue playing pan, I joined Oberlin Steel while studying jazz piano at Oberlin Conservatory. From there I’ve also played in several panoramas in both New York and Trinidad.
Around the beginning of 2018, I became very interested in making pans. The fact that pan was a big part of my life as well as having previous instrument construction experience made it seem like a perfect fit. While at the Virginia Beach PANfest that same year, I met Steve Lawrie. Steve seemed very willing to help, and much of what I know comes from him. Since then, I’ve been steadily improving and have developed a few of my own methods.