CJ Menge’s passion for building community through music has led to a diverse career as a steel pan performer, educator and composer.  He is a classically trained percussionist who has been playing steel pan professionally since 1992. He currently serves as Executive Director of Inside Out Steelband, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Menge co-founded professional steel band Bandandee-A in 1992 and renamed the group Inside Out Steelband in 1996, when he widened his vision to develop an Arts-in-Education program promoting the Trinidadian steel pan tradition in the greater Austin, Texas area. Since that time he has worked diligently to create a community of steel bands in Austin and Central Texas.  As a result of Menge’s guidance, Austin now has many schools with year-round steel band programs that are part of the daily class curriculum.

Menge founded the Inside Out Community Steelband in 2000, which extends the reach of Inside Out programs outside of schools and into the general population.  This group currently includes members ranging in age from 12 to 70. Menge has held long-term teaching artist positions with several school programs, including James Bowie High School (Austin ISD), KIPP Austin College Prep, McCallum High School and Fine Arts Academy (Austin ISD), Sam Houston High School (San Antonio ISD) and the University of Texas at Austin. As a clinician, Menge has worked with steel bands of all levels (Pre-K, Elementary, Middle School, High School, Community, and University) throughout the United States.

Menge is recognized for his skill as a director of mass steel band performances and festivals, in which several steel band programs come together to present performances as one unified ensemble.  He has been presenting mass steel band performances since 1997.  The annual Inside Out Steelband Festival places students from multiple Austin schools onstage, performing as a mass band alongside internationally recognized guest steel pan artists such as Liam Teague, Andy Narell, Ray Holman, Leon “Foster” Thomas, Josanne Francis, Victor Provost, and many others. 

Notable past performances include guest artist appearances with the Lima Symphony Orchestra, Austin Chamber Music Festival, and Austin Symphony children’s concerts.  Menge was a featured soloist with the McCallum HS Knights of Steel at the 2007 Midwest Clinic and has been a featured soloist with the St. Edward's University Choir on their concert tours of Scotland, Portugal, Spain, and Norway.  He has directed ensembles at Percussive Arts Society International Conventions and the Midwest Clinic. He has performed in the Trinidad Panorama competition three times (Invaders Steel Orchestra, birdsong Steel Orchestra, and Skiffle Steel Orchestra) and the London Panorama (Croydon Steel Orchestra). 

Menge has composed and arranged over 150 works for steel band.  His works have been performed throughout the United States, and have been featured at national and international festivals. Many of his compositions and arrangements may be found at Boxfish Music Publishing, Inc. (www.boxfishmusic.com), a sheet music publishing company he founded in order to promote original music for steel band. Recent commissions include works for solo steel pan, steel band, and percussion ensemble.

Earl Brooks was introduced to the steelpan instrument in 1992 at tender age of three years old. He then went on to play at his first major event, being featured in the opening ceremony of the “Brian Lara” Promenade in downtown Port of Spain, Trinidad West Indies. Roughly by the age five years old, Earl was already performing at several functions, and competitions including, Pan Ramajay and numerous performances at the President’s Residence. In his early Years as a musician Earl was a member of “ THE MUSIC MAKERS “ under the direction of Mrs. Merle Albino- de Coteau. At the age of 8 years old Earl was featured on his father’s CD entitled Twin Towers “ Agra Jazz “ These efforts proved to be an early training ground for Earl as a musical Artists, and to position him as a Master Pannnists in the years to come.

CULTURAL AMBASSADOR

Earl has performed and accompanied many well-established musicians and mentors such as His father The Accomplished Well Reknown Earl Brooks Senior, Dr. Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe, Etienne Charles, Arturo Tappin, Mungal Patasar, Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Frankie Macintosh, Ray Angry all of these highly established musicians and more. In March of 2003, Earl became a stage side member of “Exodus Steel Orchestra” and was blessed to make numerous Tours Overseas with the band. In 2005 for six weeks, they toured Japan performing 35 concerts in 30 different cities then in 2006 they spent three weeks touring Europe. In the Beginning stages was a Musical Ambassador on the promotion Team for the Percussive Harmonic Instrument the ( PHI ) This instrument was designed and developed at the Steel Pan Development Centre, at the University of The West Indies. Earl also was able to spend 2 weeks in Senegal West Africa Showcasing his exceptional skills as a pannists in November 2019 then in Febuary 2020 was invited to perform at the Legendary Hope Road, for Bob Marleys 75th birthday celebration. Most recently Earl was invited to perform for 6 Months in the Amazing City of Dubai promoting and performing at different venues for Expo 2020 held Oct 1st 2021 through March 31st 2022 .

MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2008 and 2009 before becoming a resident of the United States he had the opportunity to tour France with a group of five musicians including his father Earl Brooks Sr. In 2009 Earl was chosen to arrange for St. Augustine Senior Secondary Comprehensive School competing in the School Panorama. The piece was entitled River Lime and earned them second place in the competition. In 2016 he also arranged for “Exocubs Youth Steel Orchestra” Composing wonderful rendition of Ricardo Dru’s Vagabond. Earl has been featured on Several projects throughout the years such as “STEEL LOVE”, produced and recorded by Yoichi Watanabe. Featured on Four ( 4) tracks on Pelham Goddard’s album entitled “Agra Jazz”. Most recently, Earl was a part of the debut album of the Merry Rockers group called Embrace it and a featured soloist on Etienne Charles “Black Echo V Steel”. In Summer 2010, Earl enrolled into Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2014 he was the Headline Artist alongside Arturo Tappin at Barbados Pan Fusion held at the residence of the Prime Minister. Since then he’s been doing major events within the United States with bands and performers like Cheryl Pepsii Riley, Josh and the Jamtones, He performed with Merry Rockers as well as solo performances at places like Blue Note Jazz, Nublu Classic Brooklyn Bowl and Groove NYC. In Jan 2018 Earl became an instructor at “Brooklyn Center for The Arts” in Brooklyn NY using his own curriculum, and assisting to develop their Centre. Earl was also invited to perform in Toronto Canada at Sons Of Steel as a Featured guest ArtistsIn February of 2020 "Brooks Arts Academy” was registered to help Educate and Create opportunities for other young musicians to the music industry. Currently, Earl is in works of publishing his first album to be released. Earl’s goal is to become a world-renowned Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Educator in the Music Business and go on to become Dr. Brooks in the near future. The Impact of his work continues to impact and wow audiences nationally while representing a variety of musical genres as a All rounded Musical Artists.

Yuko has taught elementary school, middle school, high school, university, and community school steelbands. She has presented her work at multiple conferences including at the Young Women’s Conference in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Princeton University and International Conference and Panorama in Trinidad and Tobago.  She conducted several workshops at various locations including Japan, Australia and Thailand. In 2009, Yuko co-founded the Pastiche Steel Ensemble, a group of musicians who performed new music for steelpan and advocated for culturally attuned steelpan education. She also co-founded the Virtual Steelband and Pan in Unity, an online performance project that brought together pannists from across the globe. Yuko not only tunes, teaches, conducts workshops, and performs, but also transcribes panorama arrangements, serves as clinician/adjudicator for steelpan festivals and competitions, and writes music for steelbands and chamber groups at all levels. She was invited to perform her original composition, “Opposite Attraction: Three Short Pieces for Tenor and Bass Steelpans” at the 2019 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. In celebration of her many years of hard work and dedication, Yuko was the feature of a Japanese documentary show entitled Gutto Chikyubin (Earth Mail) in 2017 and 2020.  In 2022, Yuko was selected as the only non-Trinbagonian to be featured in the documentary entitled, Women in Pan, produced in Trinidad and Tobago.  Her works are published by maumaumusic.com and ramajay.com.