Salford Steel – part of Salford’s Music and Performing Arts Service (MAPAS) -played at the opening ceremony of Sainsbury’s Schools Games at Manchester Arena on Thursday (Sept 3) . The group is made up of pupils from 10-17 years of age from all over Salford and they played a medley of carnival tunes Soca Party and Brazil on Caribbean style steel drums.
Salford Steel were the closing act in a spectacular show featuring a fire eater, show girls and gymnasts!
Salford Steel leader Alison Home commented that the band had made a spectacular contribution to a fantastic opening ceremony. “Although some of the children were only doing their second show with the band, it was a really tight performance and the audience loved it,” she said.
Max Dillon, 10
Ethan Grimshaw, 10
Elizabeth Pearson, 10
Oliver Hanson, 11
Joanna Pemberton, 11
Denholm Yates, 11
Cristiano Mancini, 11
Samuel Lightfoot, 11
Matthew Wright, 12
Kate McElvenny, 16
Martina Rodriguez-Losa, 17
Daniel Walsh, 17
Although Salford Steel has only existed for five years, the group has already played three times at the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham, been on tour with other MAPAS members to Lake Garda and will feature at Salford’s Big Day Out on September 19. Next year they are going on tour to Germany.
Salford Steel is just one part of the MAPAS Community. There are steel bands, open to all ages, who rehearse every Thursday at Swinton High School. “We’d love more members so anyone who fancies a blast can just turn up and we will make them very welcome,” said Alison Home.
