In the past few decades, the steel band art form has experienced consistent growth and development in several key respects. For example, in the United States, the sheer number of steel band programs has steadily increased, and it appears that this trend will continue in the future. Additionally, pan builders and tuners have made great strides in construction and tuning techniques, such that today virtually all steel pans on the market meet widely accepted baseline standards of quality. One could even argue that growth has occurred in the area of steel band pedagogy. The existence of annual workshops, the regular presence of clinics devoted to pan at music conferences and professional meetings, and the publication of journal articles and method books over the past twenty years all point to such a conclusion. However, steel band repertoire lags behind these other spheres in terms of growth. Many steel band directors frequently cite the lack of high-quality published sheet music as a concern. In particular, there is a dearth of original compositions for steel band. While on the surface it may seem that steel bands are doing fine playing the staple tunes that have been in the repertoire for years, a lack of interest or enthusiasm for programming original music could have significant implications for the future viability of the steel band art form. (Contains 5 notes.)