UWI graduates are everywhere – politics, business, the arts, and as public intellectuals. In the coming months, UWI TODAY will profile some of our high achieving alumni who have made or are making a positive impact on society.
Have you ever heard a piece of music that just made you stop in your tracks? Music notes that are so intoxicating that you have no choice but to stop and surrender? And then, as time passes, you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard it?
For me, that experience was hearing Affairs of the Heart by Damian “Junior Gong” Marley being played on the steelpan at the installation ceremony for former UWI Chancellor Mr Robert Bermudez in September 2017. When I heard those first few notes of the infectious beat from the popular song, my entire body stopped mid-stride. What was this rendition? What were these notes and tones that were transforming this song that I already loved? And there, on stage, was pannist Khion De Las.
Khion’s performance was transcendent. It blended seamlessly with the background track, and his movements intertwined with the rhythm of the music.
He describes music as always being the career that he intended to follow. While acknowledging his interest in studying languages, music was always the passion and the goal. His determination has seen him earn a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Arts and a Masters of Music, and he is currently pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies at The UWI St Augustine. Surprisingly, Khion also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, a Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, and a Legal Education Certificate.
With all these letters to his name, he has crafted a well thought-out and interwoven career for himself with two disciplines that seem very different at face value.
“In addition to being an Instructor in Musical Arts,” he proudly explains, “I am also the co-director of The UWI Arts Steel, along with Mr Jessel Murray. I am also the Director of The UWI Arts Jazz Ensemble. I am a performer, arranger, composer, producer and songwriter. Finally, I am an Attorney-at-Law, specialising in Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property.”
Khion has performed the world over, and describes his most memorable performance as being that at the Yeosu International Youth Festival in South Korea, where he played the steelpan in front of 50,000 people.
He describes his musical upbringing as humble, as his first exposure to music was piano lessons at age five. His parents were not able to afford a piano or a keyboard. To encourage the budding musician, his father jumped at the opportunity to purchase “an old, spray painted, slightly rusted tenor pan for the price of $600”. He fondly recalls returning home from his Saturday morning piano classes and practicing on this tenor pan.
Khion can now play almost an orchestra’s worth of instruments, including guitar, drums, bass and saxophone. He is also a vocalist. And he isn’t stopping there. Currently, he has his eyes set on learning brass instruments like the trombone and the trumpet.
So what does the musician himself listen to? He enjoys heavy metal, UK drill music, and local genres Trinibad and Zess, which are actually the focuses of his PhD dissertation. When asked who he would choose to collaborate with if the opportunity presented itself, US hip hop artiste Eminem seems like a surprising choice, but as Khion goes on to describe the fusion of hip hop beats with the notes of the steelpan, it makes one wonder why it hasn’t already been done.
The conductor, teacher, student and lawyer speaks positively about the opportunities that now exist for meaningful careers in the Arts industry. Khion explains that while there was once a time when career options were limited, people who are interested in the industry can now become managers, technicians, sound designers, composers, animators, costume designers and more. He encourages artists and artistes to think outside the box and seek out possibilities for consultancies and partnerships with other industries.
For those hoping to enter the music industry, Khion advises, “Music as an art form is so diverse that a musician can be an artiste, producer and still so much more. Various music skills often complement each other. Therefore, your focus should not only be on being one thing.”
And for anyone who might be doubting the value and benefits of a music education, he reminds them that learning music requires multitasking and is both physically and mentally stimulating, and the skills that one gains in music education can be easily transferred into other aspects of life. Music provides an outlet for self-expression, creativity and self-worth.
Have you ever wondered what the hand movements of an orchestra’s conductor means? Here’s what Khion had to say:
“The hand movements communicate both the time signature the music is being played in as well as the tempo the music is to be played. The conductor keeps the group in sync. Additionally, hand movements also cue various instrument sections as to when they are supposed to play or stop playing even while other sections may continue to play. Each musician has their individual part on the music score in front of them but the conductor has everyone's part on a full score. The conductor therefore has to read everyone's parts simultaneously and use one hand to cue various parts, indicate dynamic changes (loud, soft etc) all whilst using the other hand to maintain time signature and tempo.”
