About NGSO
New Generation Steel Orchestra is a charity founded in 2019 to provide free steel pan lessons, uniforms, trips and mentoring to disadvantaged young people. We also perform and provide workshops to schools, community organisations, corporations and private functions, as well as hosting community events. We currently have 30 young people within our band, consisting of our junior and youth groups. Band members attend weekly steel pan pan lessons, compete at a national level and perform all over the country. Since 2023 the band has travelled twice to Nice, South of France.
We give young people a safe space and the opportunity to achieve, and be part of a community. We keep our classes and uniforms free, to ensure that all young people are able to access our services, and have built a community of families and supporters who come together through the love of music. The opportunities and experiences provided though our work, continue to positively transform the lives of our young people, their families and their local communities.
Paying it forward!
Joelle, founder of New Generation Steel Orchestra, began playing steel pan at age seven, with Ebony Steel Band, an internationally renowned steel orchestra, Through the band, Joelle was able to see the world, experience success and go on to find employment in adulthood. These life enriching experiences are what drove her to start New Generation Steel Orchestra; to pay forward, all that she had gained from being in a steel band as a young person. The 'pan yard' was a place which was welcoming, fun and at the same time a challenge. Joelle always had a dream to provide a safe, warm environment where children can learn steel pan, develop social skills and thrive through music.
"Things were tough growing up, and steel pan gave me an escape. The first time I ever went on a plane was a trip to the South of France to play steel pan; I was a young teen. Fast forward twenty years, and I was able to take a group of twelve young people to the South of France to perform. It was such a full circle moment, and just one of the many things I'd set out to accomplish by establishing NGSO. Many young people and their families are struggling, and I want to use steel pan to bring happiness and healing to as many lives as possible." Joelle Gardiner, founder.
