Panorama:

Amy has played pan since she was nine and says she has always loved music and playing it too, she says she loves pans ability to bring people together.

She has a Tanzanian background and says she recognises the cultural significance of pan saying: “I’m always trying to encourage other people to listen to it and embrace it, because I think it’s such a beautiful instrument. I think it’s an honour to carry that significance on today.”

Amy says she wants to continue playing pan throughout her life and even has aspirations of composing music one day.

Many started playing in their childhood, and members of the band do outreach programmes in the local schools, to encourage children to pursue steel pan.

Jerome joined Ebony 17 years ago, after being hand-picked by recruiters who had come and taught pan in his school.

He says his Grenadian heritage encourages him to be involved in the band: “My family has been involved in costumes and sound systems for as long as I can remember, it’s important for me to carry that on.”

Jerome says that Carnival, and in turn Panorama, both have great significance to Caribbean culture in the UK.

“Notting Hill Carnival was at the epicentre of the Black Civil Rights movement in the UK so to be able to see generations come through it in the background, like, you know, the people that actually make it happen.

“The mas bands, the steel bands and the sound systems and all of that but also the people that come and them bringing their own generations into it too, it’s majorly significant to Black-Caribbean culture in the UK.”

Jerome told me his favourite memories at Ebony are when he first joined and had the opportunity to travel all around Europe with the band, and then would return back to school and do his GCSE’s like a ‘normal kid’ and talk about it with his peers.

He says he’s happy to have seen the growth of Panorama through the years but has higher hopes for the event.

“It would be nice to see more awareness on Panorama with more things in the press and media more coverage on Panorama itself.

“Where it comes from in Trinidad it’s a big deal, so to see it done in the same way over here would be great, because I’m sure if more people knew about it more people would come.”

Speaking to some of the youth bands members, the girls told me they don’t wish to pursue pan as a career but hope to continue playing throughout their lives as important for them to carry on traditions which they can eventually pass onto their own children.

One clear drive for these young men and women is their want to share their culture with future generations and to continue the legacy of Caribbean-British culture that was built by their elders.

I asked them what drew them to Ebony in the first place and why they keep coming back. It feels like a family, they tell me - and it would, I look around and see aunties, uncles, grand mothers and fathers, big brothers, and little sisters. All watching out for each other and linked by their shared passion for music and vibes.

Melody says “Not only are we playing in a band but this is my family” Laine added “We’ve made one big family I would class these people as my sisters, it’s all a big community.”

I asked them whether the winning is actually important or is it just the taking part that counts.

Melody, who’s from South London but travels to West to participate says this area celebrates her culture more and told me: “I can’t lie the feeling of winning is important to me” she smiles, and they all laugh; reminiscing on their win in the previous year.

“During the whole season of practising, sometimes you feel like: ‘Oh I don’t wanna do this anymore’ but as soon as you get on stage and you play and you hit that last note, I don’t regret coming practise every day, I don’t regret missing time with my friends to play.”

I wanted to know about the tension between the groups and asked if it is a problem when players switch between groups, the girls told me “It doesn’t matter if people switch between groups, we’re all connected and know each other. But if we lose and they move to the band that won, boy. That’s the biggest betrayal ever.”

With a stripe of red through her hair, a nod to her Trinidadian heritage, Gianna said “A lot of the focus is on slavery, but our history is more than that, and pan is included in that” Isis agrees, mentioning the forbidden J-word: “Yes, everyone just forgets about the Caribbean, and all the other countries in the Caribbean besides Jamaica.”

Gianna said “A lot of our generation are oblivious to certain parts of our culture they think it's just carnival, it’s just a party, but there’s more to it.”

Isis said “People outside of our culture think carnival’s just a fete, everything’s just a fete, but it's not because it's a celebration of different cultures coming together”

Asking them what their vision is for steel pan and Panorama, everyone was clearly united in their hopes for the genre and event to grow, and they told me about their efforts in actively sharing it among their peers – even encouraging me to join. This is a part of their culture and themselves that they want to share.