The Brighton Heritage Academy Pan Dragons Steel Band took the stage at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs on Dec. 1. The School District 27J band played to a statewide audience of nearly 1,000 board of education directors and district superintendents during the Colorado Association of School Boards Annual Convention.

"The Pan Dragons received a standing ovation for its performance," said band Director Don Prorak. Musical selections included "Ode to Joy," "Crazy Train," and other calypso, jazz and pop selections.

The group was one of only four groups that were invited to perform at the convention. The Pan Dragons was selected to perform based on a CD that was submitted to convention organizers.

Students who performed at the CASB convention were Jessica Baughman, Mike Campbell, Nick DeAnda, Cory Good, Rikki Jacobsen, Austin Johnson, Brandon Lee, Dylan Murray, Luis Neri, Vaughn Ornelas, Thomas Pfeifer and Dylan Poston.

Sarah DeShane, a BHA graduate, rejoined the Pan Dragons for this performance. Sarah now attends CSU and plays in the university steel band.

The steel band music of the Pan Dragons will be open to all to hear at the winter concert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 18 in the BHA Auditorium, Eighth and Bridge in Brighton. Admission is $3.

The steel band also will perform at BHA's graduation ceremony on Dec. 20 at 1 p.m.

Steelband is a Caribbean art form that originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but is also alive and well in northern Colorado.

Prorak founded the Pan Dragons about eight years ago. The Pan Dragons are the only high school steelband in Colorado.

Brighton Heritage Academy is the alternative high/middle school in School District 27J and is proud to offer steelband as its music curriculum. Many of the students come into the steelband with little or no prior musical experience. Others come from various backgrounds in school band or orchestra, or having played guitar, bass, or piano.

The Pan Dragons perform a concert at the end of each nine-week quarter and at the school's quarterly graduation ceremonies. They have also performed for the Metro Mayors and Commissioners Youth Awards and at functions for the City of Brighton. In 2004, they performed at the Colorado Percussive Arts Society "Day of Percussion" in Fort Collins with the CSU steelband, also directed by Prorak.

Prorak is also the leader of Pan Jumbies, a professional group he founded in 1991. He has traveled to Trinidad a number of times to perform with some of the island's top steelbands, and to study the music and culture.