Stefon West

Stefon West a Trinidadian national, who grew up in the village of Couva, began his musical journey and professional development by becoming a member of the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra. His passion for music began his drive towards growth and development using the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago as a medium. This self-motivation further lead him to strategically place himself for positions such as section leader, chief skills officer, and music committee member within the Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra in which he was successful. Mr. West went on to pursue his grades in music literacy and was able to achieve a merit grade on completion of the Trinity Guildhall Music Literacy Exam. This achievement worked as a stepping stone in his musical life and career after he was accepted into the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC) to pursue a certificate in the Sound Recording/Production Program at Pt. Lisas Couva. The knowledge he gained from the program opened a number of doors for him where he began testing his new found skills in arranging music for his orchestra during the carnival season.

This new musical journey became a new way of life as he propelled himself to go even deeper into this musical chapter fulfilling his appetite for musical supremacy. Mr. West embraced and seeks new educational experiences as he used the various channels to gain more in-depth information to build his knowledge foundation on arranging music for the steel pan. His attendance at the Panorama Arranging workshop over a three (3) week period awarded him a Certificate of Participation. Mr. West quickly used the information to transfer and practice his new skills and knowledge within the orchestra. This thirst of wanting to learn more while professionalising in his music career, heightened his interest as he applied for the Certificate in Pan and Music Literacy at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. On the final day of his sound recording/production program, he received a call for his orientation at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, and also got the opportunity to pursue his Artist Diploma in Music Performance instead of the Certificate in Pan and Music due to the shortage of students for that program. The Artist Diploma program went on for the duration of three years (3) from 2012 – 2015, where he graduated with a 3.91 GPA percentage.

As he continues his musical journey, more opportunities kept coming his way. Mr. West is currently the Operations Manager at the NGC Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra where he is responsible for all the music and the musical-related aspects of the organisation. He is currently the music tutor for the Little Angels Paradise kindergarten, Couva Police Youth Club and Couva Joylanders Panorama training workshop while simultaneously pursuing a Bachelor in Fine Arts specialising in Music (Steelpan) at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. West intends to complete his Master Degree in Carnival Studies in the near future as he continues his commitment and devotion towards the development of culture and the National Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.