DAY 5 TASSO - ZOO and Workshop

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Today, TASSO got up in the morning at around 8 o'clock and had a band meeting before heading as a group to the world-famous Taronga zoo. When we arrived, Mr. Cupid joked that zoo should keep at least half of the band members for a new exhibit called "The creatures behind the pan." We didn't take it personally.

The zoo was a blast! TASSO saw kangaroos, wallabies, red pandas, zebras, Indian elephants, koala bears, performing seals, lions, tigers, lemurs, a Tasmanian Devil with amazingly large teeth, and most rare, a platypus. Australia is home to the world's deadliest snakes and spiders. We saw them too, safely behind glass.

The band members grabbed snacks and lunch at the zoo using the AC Conversion cards brought to them by corporate sponsor, CIBC. Thanks CIB'Free!

In the afternoon TASSO boarded the bus again at 2:15pm and then headed to the beautiful St. Stephen's Church, near Hyde Park, where band leader Salmon Cupid had organized a collabration with another band, this one from a school in Perth, Australia. This group had about 70 or so players of various ages who perform on a wide range instruments which include the bag pipe among other unorthodrox instruments.

Mr. Cupid did his part for the workshop by going over the deep history of the steel pan, telling the story of how the steel pan was developed from its origins as industrial waste and its long road to its current status as a huge player in the inner circles of today's international music scene. Mr. Cupid also gave a brief explanation of how the steel pan works.

He spoke of how it began as a simplistic instrument with only one drum called the "dudup" and how today there are so many steel pan instruments producing a rich, melodious and complex sound.

The two groups then came together to play Amazing Grace. We sounded great.

Afterwards, TASSO packed up the pans quickly into a waiting truck and headed to the hotel for a restful night in preparation for the next day's all-important performance at the Sydney Opera House.

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