Sing a song for TT

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the TT Patriotic Committee, Howell spoke at a news conference on Tuesday at St Mary’s College, Portof- Spain.

Howell emphasised that there is a disconnection among the youths of the nation in the area of aesthetic education.

“We need to reconnect our values, promoting our values, promoting our youths, promoting our self esteem, promoting our self respect that we seem to lose because of the gun violence, confusion and madness that is taking place in our country at this point in time.” “When I say aesthetic education I mean valued education, where it ages there seem to be throughout our beautiful country a disconnection and a lack of respect, self esteem and value among and between various families and various ages.” He said if the connection is not made, national icons and the contributions of forefathers and parents made in various ways will be soon lost.

Howell explained that the function of the competition is to encourage a resurgence of respect through music. “The competition will see students creating and performing original songs from primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. It will also engender a spirit of national pride by students live performances of original songs to each other through music at all levels in one place.” Howell expressed that the nation’s youths can be composers of patriotic music, and not wait on the composers of the Musical to write patriotic music, while reconnecting the values, and promoting the youths.

“If we don’t reconnect modality of human behaviour in a respectful kind of way we are again going to lose it. We need to reconnect where all age groups will look at the other and say I love your song, I love your effort lets see if we can copy and paste it,” he said.

Coordinator of the Trinidad and Tobago Patriotic Song Committee Lennox Sirjuesingh said the prize structure will be $117,000 to the contestants and their institutions. He said there are 48 contestants from primary, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions throughout Trinidad. The students will perform their original songs on September 7 at Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, Couva. Twenty-five students will advance to the semi-final round on September 12 and 15 contestants would move on to the finals on September 21. The winner of the competition will receive $40,000.