Led by artist, educator, and creative consultant Joy Lapps, this national initiative aims to research and digitally map Canada’s vibrant but under-documented steelpan ecosystem. Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, this project addresses a key challenge in the Canadian steelpan community: the absence of a centralized, up-to-date digital platform to discover steelbands, tuners, educators, composers, arrangers, and service providers.
Though the steelpan is a relatively young instrument—it has become an essential part of Caribbean culture and Canada's multicultural arts landscape. Despite this, many Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean Canadian steelpan practitioners lack the resources or infrastructure to maintain an online presence, leading to missed opportunities and decreased visibility.
Through extensive research and community engagement, the project will culminate in the creation of a searchable website and/or mobile app that showcases Canadian steelpan talent and related businesses. A two-day conference will take place on August 8 and 9, 2025, at the University of Toronto Scarborough, presented in partnership with SoundLife Scarborough and the University of Toronto. This gathering will offer space for connection, shared learning, and celebration, while also functioning as an interactive component of the research process—further informing the digital map and exploring how it can help address key challenges in the steelpan sector.
This initiative seeks to foster national and international connections, increase discoverability, and build long-term sustainability for steelpan practitioners and stakeholders. Ultimately, it aims to elevate the presence and impact of Canada’s steelpan community within the broader arts and culture ecosystem.