Mission Statement
Th East of the River Steelband provides music instruction, youth development and cultural heritage education for 12 - 18 years olds. Our program provides music theory education teaching students to read and write music, life skills sessions include academic reinforcement, health education, substance abuse prevention, etiquette, and social skills, and topics of interest and relevance to participants. Since 1993, we have served hundreds of youth from underserved communities east of the Anacostia River and beyond.
Description
The East of the River Boys and Girls Steelband is a 501c3 headquartered in the Deanwood community in Washington, DC.
The Steelband was started in 1993 by Dr. Gladys W. Bray, a DC schoolteacher and arts enthusiast. She recognized the absence of arts programming for youth in Ward 7 and created several community-based arts programs. The Steelband is the apex of her efforts serving 15 African American youth, ages 10-18. The program has maintained a level of consistency working through normal ebbs and flows of life. Dr. Bray died in 2017 and the program was sustained and blossomed under the leadership of Linda Y. Fisher, parent of a charter member. Roger Greenidge, a native Trinidadian, has taught the band for 25 years using traditional methods of rote repetition and the band manager, Rita Dozier has been with the group for 21 years.
The Steelband is a year-round program with students meeting weekly: Monday and Wednesday afternoons/evenings for steelpan instruction in two- to three-hour practices and Saturdays for two-hour music theory classes.
The band’s instruments include tenor pans, double seconds, guitar, tenor basses and basses, congas and trap drums. The band has 20 songs in its catalog that includes Caribbean, calypso, ska, rhythm and blues, pop, jazz, gospel and go-go. Pre-pandemic, the group played 25 live performances a year, as well as recorded and streaming music. The program has a waiting list of youth wanting to join.
