District News

As the Carnival Kids Steel Orchestra (CKSO) marks 50 years of bringing music to stages large and small in Lancaster, Western New York, and around the world, those around the orchestra see its legacy as more than its unique steel drum sound or its lively, crowd-moving shows. It’s the connection between those fortunate enough to be among its members.

“The CKSO is a family,” said Kenneth Kowalski, a retired Lancaster Central School District music teacher who led the group for 21 years. “It’s not just a school group, it’s not a club, it’s a family that cares for each other and takes care of each other.”

The ensemble, one the longest running high school steel drum programs in America, marked their golden anniversary during its annual Island Night Show. The event, held at The Grapevine in Depew on April 20th, drew a large number of alumni from outside the region.

Though the CKSO has become a favorite over its 50 years, its success was far from a guarantee, and came with the help of a driving force behind the instrument’s spread.

John Marone, the founding director of the orchestra and retired Lancaster Middle School music teacher, said he first considered launching a steel drum band after seeing the Calliope’s Childrens Steel Band from Chappaqua, led by famed music teacher James Leyden, perform in Albany in 1972. In the audience was Ellie Mannette, a Trinidadian drum manufacturer and tuner who has been described by the National Endowment for the Arts as the “Father of the Modern Steel Drum.”

“Here I was, a music teacher, and I’d never seen anything like that,” Marone said. “I said, ‘I’d like to try that myself.’”

Returning to Buffalo, the first challenge was getting the drums needed to play. Marone eventually connected with Buffalo-based Trinidadian musicians Bob Diaz and Paul Ferrette, who sold the group their first drums. Assembling his first band in 1974 with six middle school students and performing from personally transcribed sheet music, Marone said the doubt was evident among his colleagues.

“All of my colleagues were saying, ‘What a racket!’” Marone said. “They were saying this will be unbearable.”

That doubt even entered into the band’s first concert at Aurora Middle School, with Marone recalling some groaning in the crowd as the band prepared to play its first song, “Silent Night.” The band began its performance, and the tone of the room changed.

“You could hear a pin drop,” Marone said. “They couldn’t believe these drums were making this sound.”

Those around the band said the drum’s unsophisticated look can lead some observers to overlook its artistic range.

“The sounds blend so perfectly,” Kowalski said. “It can be so expressive. It’s a gorgeous instrument.”

The band would grow and add high school musicians in following years with additional drums acquired and tuned by the legendary Mannette, and soon the secret was out about the band’s sound. In the years since that first show, the CKSO has performed across western New York, as well as at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The CKSO has also performed in Trinidad, where the first steel drum was created from discarded metal.

Leaders like Kowalski said the support of students’ families as well as the leadership of the Lancaster Central School District was pivotal in sustaining its success. Other directors credited with leading the group through its history are Michael Morrissey and Joe Prisinzano, along with Dave Calire and current director Ariana Giordano.

The band’s setlist can cover a wide range of genres, from classical to calypso and even modern Top 40 hits. Giordano, a Lancaster Middle School music teacher and the orchestra’s director since 2022, said the students’ energy while they perform can change the mood of even the quietest room.

“I’ve seen them light up a room with their performances,” she said. “They start playing and dancing and they bring so much liveliness everywhere they go.”

Rehearsing ahead of the anniversary Island Night show, students could be seen jumping and sliding from side to side as they went through a series of songs. LHS freshman Natasha Baginski said her experience is different than when she plays bass clarinet in school ensembles.

“You’re connecting with people on the stage,” Natasha said. “It’s a completely different feeling than any other ensemble to see people enjoying music from another part of the world. It’s very joyful.”

LHS senior Brayden Forcier, a member for six years, said that despite the upbeat performance style and dance moves, the student musicians have to remain focused and precise with their playing.

“You still have to be listening around the group,” he said. “There’s a lot of chemistry that’s involved.”

The band’s regular performance schedule creates tight bonds for student musicians and their families, with many students following older siblings in joining the orchestra. Braden Kwasniewski, a 2017 Lancaster High School graduate, said he relished the chance to play with his younger siblings Kaylin,

a 2021 graduate, and Cameron, a current senior.

“Seeing them have fun and make it their own and what they added in was always cool,” he said.

The anniversary show was also seen as a chance to celebrate the orchestra’s successes, and to look forward to the group’s future.

“It was like the world’s biggest family reunion, and it was wonderful to see everybody together again,” Kowalski said. “I was so proud of the students, and I couldn’t wait to see everybody.”