Vanessa Headley
v a n e s s a h e a d l e y
Vanessa Alexandra Headley is a musical Arranger, Composer, Educator, and steel pan/percussion devotee for the past 25 years.
Her pursuit of music through high school awarded her 1st place in the Caribbean at CSEC Music. She received her 1st degree with honours, specialised in Musical Arts at The University of the West Indies in 2010 and in 2011 she was a selected member of the Berklee College of Music All Star Funk Fusion Band and earned the first Steelpan Major scholarship to continue studies at the College. He also holds a Masters degree in Music Psychology from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.
However, Vanessa desired to remain in Trinidad where she felt she could make the biggest impact in the lives of steelpan lovers and steelpan musicians, through the exploration of the steelpan artform.
Ms. Headley holds the positions of Vice President and Musical Director of the renowned NGO - Golden Hands. She is the first steelpan arranger to compose, perform and arrange an original composition for the National Panorama. This she has done on four (4) consecutive occasions for Golden Hands, emerging with the coveted title of Champion Arranger in 2018 with her song TROUBLE. As a Golden Hands member she has shared in over one hundred national and International trophies and awards, many of which are due to her phenomenal performance as a solist.
Her philanthropy includes charitable performances and steelpan workshops in Trinidad, other Caribbean islands, USA and the UK.. At home, she is also an Advanced Steelpan Tutor for the Ministry of Commuity Development, Culture and The Arts in collaboration with Golden Hands. In the year 2015 Ms. Headley won the prestigious National Youth Award given by the Ministry of Youth Gender and Child Development for her stellar ongoing contributions to the steelpan culture.
Ms. Headley is also engaged as the Radio Show Hostess of “Steelpan City with Vanessa’’ on WACK 90.1 FM, a platform she uses to analyze music through the years and educate listeners on the exponential evolution of the steelpan. Her passion for the development of the instrument is expressed in her current authoring of a book series. She is one of the editors of
The UWI Graded Steelpan Examinations Books and has composed and transcribed extensively
for various publications, most recently that of Steelpan icon Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe.
Vanessa Alexandra Headley is deeply committed to building on the foundation of our steelpan pioneers by sharing the essence of steelpan music, through education.
Her pursuit of music through high school awarded her 1st place in the Caribbean at CSEC Music. She received her 1st degree with honours, specialised in Musical Arts at The University of the West Indies in 2010 and in 2011 she was a selected member of the Berklee College of Music All Star Funk Fusion Band and earned the first Steelpan Major scholarship to continue studies at the College. He also holds a Masters degree in Music Psychology from the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.
However, Vanessa desired to remain in Trinidad where she felt she could make the biggest impact in the lives of steelpan lovers and steelpan musicians, through the exploration of the steelpan artform.
Ms. Headley holds the positions of Vice President and Musical Director of the renowned NGO - Golden Hands. She is the first steelpan arranger to compose, perform and arrange an original composition for the National Panorama. This she has done on four (4) consecutive occasions for Golden Hands, emerging with the coveted title of Champion Arranger in 2018 with her song TROUBLE. As a Golden Hands member she has shared in over one hundred national and International trophies and awards, many of which are due to her phenomenal performance as a solist.
Her philanthropy includes charitable performances and steelpan workshops in Trinidad, other Caribbean islands, USA and the UK.. At home, she is also an Advanced Steelpan Tutor for the Ministry of Commuity Development, Culture and The Arts in collaboration with Golden Hands. In the year 2015 Ms. Headley won the prestigious National Youth Award given by the Ministry of Youth Gender and Child Development for her stellar ongoing contributions to the steelpan culture.
Ms. Headley is also engaged as the Radio Show Hostess of “Steelpan City with Vanessa’’ on WACK 90.1 FM, a platform she uses to analyze music through the years and educate listeners on the exponential evolution of the steelpan. Her passion for the development of the instrument is expressed in her current authoring of a book series. She is one of the editors of
The UWI Graded Steelpan Examinations Books and has composed and transcribed extensively
for various publications, most recently that of Steelpan icon Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe.
Vanessa Alexandra Headley is deeply committed to building on the foundation of our steelpan pioneers by sharing the essence of steelpan music, through education.