photo credit: Chayce Giddens
Every high school is filled with students who have high hopes for their future, and those individuals work incredibly hard to make their dreams come true. Much of their hard work and their compassion does not go unnoticed from other students. One person who fits the description is junior Phil Armah.
Nobody can miss Armah with his bright personality but also things like his love for music and his dream of becoming a rapper and producer.
“I’ve always been interested in music since I was a baby,” Armah said. “I also recall back in middle school, I couldn’t really speak properly, and words alone could never express the emotions, thoughts and wonders in my head, and people know that art is a form of expression. So, my expression happens to be channeled through my music. It also serves as a form of escapism to me, so like if I had a bad day at school or something, I’d just put on my headphones and press play on anything. Because of that, I thank God I have ears, and I’m able to hear and listen, cause I’m really passionate about this so I would say it just about influences a lot.”
Underneath Armah and his artistry, he shows leadership whilst being humorous and a positive person.
“Phil’s an independent, humorous individual,” junior Andy Val said. “He’s a cool, level- headed musician who is dedicated to the band and is relatively skilled in my opinion. Phil never fails to impress me by teaching me something new every day.”
Music has always been a passion of his, and he began experimenting with different producing techniques in middle school. His music can be found on Soundcloud.
“I started making music in sixth or seventh grade. My dad had bought me a little Chromebook on which I would start downloading free music software and just experimenting with anything,” Armah said. “As for the producing aspect, I’d come up with a melody in my head that would never leave until I wrote it or made it beat out of it, which is how I ended up learning and studying music theory.”
Aside from music, Phil values his faith and applies those principals to his everyday lifestyle. He said how you present yourself can ultimately affect others around you.
“A portion of that comes from my faith in the Lord. Then, I also take into account that how you feel and how you carry yourself affects others a lot more than people realize,” Armah said. “But also, I realized that nothing in life is granted except death. So every day I’m alive I take advantage of it and find a way to get closer to my goals. To me, every day that I live is another opportunity to make a positive impact in the world or in somebody’s life.”
The Marching Pioneers is a big band with 200 members, and Armah is one of them, playing the tenor saxophone. While a part of the band, he makes sure that he can bring much energy and positivity to the marching field.
“Phil has a very unique and energetic approach when it comes to art, dance, music, whatever he does,” Marching Band Director Joshua Boyer said. “He’s a very unique individual with a lot of great ideas. It’s always exciting to see what he’s going to come up with in that mind of his.”
Those around him can see how he’s grown with his music, also as an individual too.
“I met Phil in the eighth grade, and from the day I met him to today he has changed exponentially in music and as a person,” Val said. “He has matured so much and gotten a lot smarter as the years went on. As for his music, he has become so brilliant in such a sense.”
With Armah’s career, he hopes to make an impact on the music industry and the world like rappers Tupac Shakur and Kayne West by remaining authentic and creating his own lane to inspire younger generations.
“I recognize that there’s a lot of negativity and terrible things that are happening in this world, and I hope that with my music, I can at least start a movement and a following that shares the same goal with helping me achieve peace and unity in areas that are in my ability to do so,” Armah said. “One thing that I’ll always keep in mind in my journey is to stay true to myself.”
