The NIU Steelband is directed by Liam Teague (Head of Steelpan Studies/Assistant Professor of Music) and Clifford Alexis (composer, arranger, tuner and builder). Started in 1973 by G. Allan O'Connor, who was head of percussion studies in the School of Music at that time, it was the first actively-performing steelband formed in an American university and has performed throughout the United States and around the world. Over the years, the NIU Steelband has broadened the repertoire and performance venues for this unique musical instrument, including a performance for 18,000 soccer fans in Yankee Stadium, concerts with symphony orchestras (including the St. Louis Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta), performances at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (PASIC), and two successful tours of Taiwan in 1992 and 1998. In 2000 the NIU Steelband had the distinction of placing 2nd in the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad, and in 2002 performed the opening concert and several others at the Seoul Drum Festival in Korea.
Since the introduction of the steelband at NIU, many institutions of learning in the United States have formed their own ensembles. NIU Steelband is a 35-member group and is mainly comprised of steelpan and percussion majors. The band performs regularly at public schools, colleges and universities, conventions and arts series concert programs. The band has three recordings to its credit, including its most recent: “Festival of Voices,” a live concert featuring an eclectic blend of musical styles.
In addition to the NIU Steelband, two other steelband ensembles exist on campus. The All-University Steelband, a group open to any NIU student regardless of major or previous experience on pan, and the Steelpan Studio, comprised exclusively of Steelpan majors.
NIU is one of the few institutions in the world at which students may pursue music degrees (Bachelors and Masters) with the steelpan as the major instrument of choice.