Passion for the Percussion: James Phillips Stands Out as Assistant Section Leader at AAMU

By Je’Don Holloway-Talley | For The Birmingham Times James Phillips received a rude awakening when he arrived at The Marching Maroon and White band camp during his freshman year at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU). With years of experience as a standout performer and section leader, the 19-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, thought band camp in Huntsville, Alabama, would be a breeze. Simply put, “I had a big head,” Phillips admitted. “I didn’t think I was going to have this [humbling] experience when I got to college because I felt like I was always better than the [drummers] around me,” he added. “My school didn’t have a lot of percussionists, and I felt like I was always working harder than [my peers].” When Phillips arrived at AAMU he learned a valuable lesson: “I saw that I wasn’t really working at all,” he said. Overcoming Adversity As the assistant percussion section leader, James Phillips describes his leadership style as “laid back,” but he maintains high expectations. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times) Having played the snare drum since the fourth grade, Phillips was stripped of his beloved instrument during his first week of band camp. “I didn’t even make the...