Aliyah Lau’s life revolves around music.
From studying and practising for performances, to her administrative functions, the 18-year-old lives and breathes music.
Lau, the top student in music in TT in the CSEC exam in 2020, is vice-captain of Proman Starlift Steel Orchestra. She was appointed to the position last year, and said she got off to a shaky start, just as she did when she was suddenly thrust into a virtual school setting while preparing for her CSEC exams two years ago.
“I was so accustomed to having physical school, the online interaction made it hard for me to stay focused because there were so many external distractions.”
But the D'Abadie teenager managed to navigate her way through the virtual storm, all the while keeping her eyes on the prize, even managing to also place fifth in the region.
“I didn’t even know I had placed first in TT,” she told WMN. “The day the results had come out I had taken my pan to get it tuned, and my aunt called to tell me congratulations. I said ‘thanks’ without knowing what she was congratulating me for. I didn’t find out until my mom called to tell me.”
[caption id="attachment_935848" align="alignnone" width="691"] Aliyah Lau has been playing with Starlift since 2019. -[/caption]
She said after fifth form, she opted to enrol at the UWI’s Department of Creative and Festival Arts because not many schools were offering music at the CAPE level.
“I’m doing a pre-bachelor’s course in music. I’m in my second year and second semester. In September I’ll start my BA in music.”
As vice-captain of Starlift, Lau is responsible for making sure the players are at, and on time for rehearsals and that they know their music. She said the transition from being a regular member of the band to vice-captain was hard.
“I am one of the youngest persons in an authoritative role in the pan fraternity. Added to that, I’m female and I’m literally very small,” she said with a laugh. But, she has since found her footing and said she and the band members “have a little groove going on right now.”
“It was difficult to get people who are older and bigger than I am to listen to me. It was a bit weird being in that position for me and for the players.”
She told WMN her love affair with music began when she was six years old, playing pan at a summer camp. After that she became a member of Exocubs, the children’s arm of the Exodus Steel Orchestra. She then moved on to Revelation Institute for Performing Education (RIPE) – a not-for-profit youth organisation aimed at help children with all-round development through the performing arts and academics – and eventually joined Starlift.
[caption id="attachment_935847" align="alignnone" width="768"] Pannist Aliyah Lau has competed at the National Music Festival. -[/caption]
“I’ve been with Starlift since April 2019.”
Over the years she has entered many competitions and played with several bands for both junior and senior Panorama, among them her school band, Bishop Anstey and Trinity College East; Proman Starlift junior and senior
