The name Mannette is indelibly linked with the steelpan movement in Trinidad and Tobago.

The contribution and legacy of brothers Ellie and Vernon "Birdie" Mannette, two of the founding members of the Invaders Steel Orchestra, have transcended generations; and live on through Vernon's son Barry Mannette.

Barry is the founder and director of the Mannette Academy of Music, an institution he founded to pay tribute and homage to his father. Predictably, Mannette's roots and musical beginnings reside in the Invaders panyard where he first learned to play pan in the traditional manner - by ear. He reflects on the countless hours expended on rehearsing numerous arrangements over several years by rote; and, having now had the benefit of experiencing and presiding over the more efficient method of execution, using musical scores; he can attest to the benefits and value of pursuing musical literacy.

The same outcome achieved from weeks of rehearsal and repetition, without the benefit of a music sheet, could 'just as efficiently be done in about an hour or two,' if players had the option of reading and interpreting the music instead, he told Sunday Newsday.

In 2010 Mannette graduated from the UWI with a first degree in musical arts, and three years later completed his master's in music from the Northern Illinois University, where he studied under renowned Trinbagonians Professor Liam Teague and Dr Clifford Alexis. Once completed, he returned to TT with an overwhelming desire to pass on what he had learnt to the young local pannists; and his ultimate goal, to establish an academy primarily for pan.

'The first was to honour my dad and carry on the name of Vernon 'Birdie' Mannette; the one who really held down the legendary Invaders for several years as a master tuner, composer, arranger, everything. And then secondly...to instil in the younger generation, the importance of music literacy.'

In 2017, those two aspirations conflated with the opening of his music academy.

Imparting knowledge has always been second nature for Mannette, and before completing his studies he had already began working with young people, training and tutoring in various aspects of music. So when he eventually opened the academy he had a base on which to build, as well as '...simple word of mouth referrals; you know, once you have a good product or service, the word will spread.'

The academy operates out of the St Ann's RC Primary School, where Mannette offers music and pan lessons to the students in exchange for the use of the school's equipment and facilities. During the covid19 pandemic he was forced to shift his operations to an online format. Starting from an experimental position, after some tweaking and adjustments, he is now satisfied that they had mastered this new technique and extended his reach. The academy has seen an increase in the student intake, and now has students from the US, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Australia, St Lucia, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. He has introduced additional instruments including the violin, g