NINE TIME NATIONAL PARANG CHAMPIONS
THE BEST PARANG BAND IN THE WORLD!!!
Los Alumnos De San Juan
One of the most outstanding & notable Parang Bands in Trinidad & Tobago is the Los Alumnos De San Juan Parang Band.
Los Alumnos De San Juan has won the National title NINE times. They first won the National title in 1998. They did it again in 1999. This band became a household name with a string of victories in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Their recent success in 2010 astounded both the judges and the spectators alike. Their tune of choice was simply fantastic and had everyone in awe!!! They performed several times after their success and the crowds are always amazed. They have truly demonstrated their supremacy, while giving praise and thanks to God!
Manager of the band, Wayne Jagdeo, said, “Our achievements are the fruits of the labour of love of our hard working and devoted members and some very special people, who have shared their knowledge and skills with us.”
Manager of the band, Wayne Jagdeo, said, “Our achievements are the fruits of the labour of love of our hard working and devoted members and some very special people, who have shared their knowledge and skills with us.”
Los Alumnos was founded by teachers and students of the San Juan Secondary Comprehensive School in 1986. The band continues to maintain its base at the school, and is a great contributing force to the enrichment of the Lower Santa Cruz community and the country in general. The band has established a niche in the world of Parang, attracting young people from the school community who have an interest in music and service and are willing to give of themselves for the benefit of others.
The band has been in existence for 24 years now and their focus remains the same: "To spread the message of Christ". They stay rooted in their mission, even with their many, many victories and successes.
The band has been in existence for 24 years now and their focus remains the same: "To spread the message of Christ". They stay rooted in their mission, even with their many, many victories and successes.
In 1988 –what was originally known as ‘Los Alumnos’, became ‘Los Alumnos De San Juan’.
San Juan is significant to the group!....Some people believe that they should become ‘Los Professors’, but they have agreed that they can never become ‘Los Professors’, because ‘Los Alumnos De San Juan’ means the 'students of St John'. St John was the voice crying in the wilderness, and St John was the one who was the precursor to the arrival of Jesus himself...
“We always perceive our band as preparing the way for someone else to come, which will be greater than us, which will do some of the things that we have not been able to do” says the leader of the band, Mr. Wayne Jagdeo.
In 1992 the principal of the then, San Juan Secondary Comprehensive School, where they worked, invited them to a place that today they call the ‘Holy Ground’. While they were there, “the spirit of the band emerged”!
The band had an experience there, and as a result, they were never the same again. From that moment onwards, they developed a deeper understanding of the meaning of their name ‘Los Alumnos De San Juan’ and what their purpose is. They have tried to remain true to that purpose over the years. Everything else about the band is grounded here. It is now an annual pilgrimage for the band, and they return annually to this site to give thanks. They will be returning this year on December 15th. Some of the members say that when they go there, they break all the rules: they don’t use microphones etc, everyone is tired and need to preserve their voice, but that occasion is a special celebration. Children from all over Trinidad come, to share in the Christmas festivities, mainly from the depressed areas/communities, and the band performs for them.
The video – Cantando Gloria – was done on the ‘Holy Ground’ and that video is considered a seminal video in Parang because the motive behind that video, was to let people know what Parang really is.
Cantando Gloria means ‘singing praises’ and that is what Parang really is. There has never been anything like it ever before.
Some feel that “Pa, rang us, and told us what to do”...we have not been able to replicate that video at all.
There has always been a movement of people in the band, due to various reasons like marriage, studies, jobs, and so on. But there has always been a ‘core’ that remains. They started off as a young band, but are now composed of mainly middle aged persons,....grown from girls to mothers.....They have been very fortunate in that young people always come in.
Out of this band a number of bands have emerged:
Con amor – the current leader was a member of Los Alumnos De San Juan
Del Caribe – the lead singer and other members came from Los Alumnos De San Juan
Los Valientes – some of their members came from Los Alumnos De San Juan
The Greatest part of their work is to move around Trinidad and Tobago teaching young people....
Today they are at Newtown Boys R.C. School, Newtown Girls R.C. School, Sacred Heart R.C. School, Arima Government School, Mt Hope, San Juan, St Joseph, Morouga and many other schools, spreading the message of Christ.
Los Alumnos is one of the few Parang bands around to shy away from the temptation of going electronic with their instruments. Jagdeo attributes the preservation of the natural sound—preferring traditional cuatros, chac chacs, and box bass to pre-recorded electronic sound bytes—to their huge success!
The current band members are: Frontline singers - Alicia Jaggasar (leadsinger & cuatro player), Lauren Birot-Burkette, Rhonda Rosales-Lyons, Naomi Mohammed, Jeremy Campbell, Wayne Jagdeo (group leader, pan), Denzil Lyons (rhythm guitar), Ian Jaggasar (box bass), Nicholas Jaggasar (2nd maracas), Raymond Francis (scratcher), Kalish Ward (toc toc), Alan Abraham (1st maracas), Billy Wong (congas), Julio Torres (guitar bass).
Los Alumnos de San Juan has, in recent times, become a name synonymous with Christmas celebrations here in T&T.
To date, Los Alumnos has produced two CDs featuring many compositions by Jaggasar. The first, Cantando Gloria, was released in 2000. The other, Es Navidad, was released in 2003. They are currently working on the production of their third CD. The group has performed in Puerto Rico, Panama and Cuba, and continue to amaze and thrill their Local Trinidadian audience.
LOS ALUMNOS DE SAN JUAN
Bourg Mulatresse, Lower Santa Cruz
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