DaVinci for Phillip Sitton is anything but a break. As a passionate musician, the senior participates in Chorale, Kantorei, Jazz Band and Symphonic Winds.
Music was easy for young Sitton to pick up on, as his father’s side of the family has their own passion for music, playing gigs around Houston throughout retirement. The senior began learning piano in kindergarten from his grandmother and now also plays the drums and clarinet, along with singing in choir.
“My musicality was shaped by my family,” Sitton said. “Music is one of the ways we connect.”
With registrations for eight morning ensemble periods—for only seven days per rotation—and four DaVinci ensembles, Sitton’s obligations consist of overlapping enrollments. Academic advisors help Sitton organize a schedule to balance his commitments, alternating between different activities for each rotation.
Sitton has gotten used to the musical chairs of hopping from instrument to instrument throughout the show while many of his ensembles perform consecutively at the annual Fine Arts assembly
“This year, I got to sit in the house for the first time once only visual art and dance were left, but in past years the Jazz Band has closed, and I’ve spent the whole time as a sort of migrating ghost,” Sitton said. “Fine Arts assembly is meant to display the work of the fine arts department, and as much as I’m involved in music, it feels really good to be able to do that.”
But balancing four different musical ensembles along with piano lessons outside of school has been difficult to manage, Sitton said. Junior year was particularly challenging for him to keep up with both music and the demanding academics of St. John’s.
“I definitely felt a lot of pressure. I wanted to show both my directors, my piano teacher, and of course my academic teachers, parents, college counselor and colleges, that I was committed, reliable and wouldn’t blow off any time commitments,” Sitton said.
French teacher Shelley Stein (‘88) who has taught Sitton in both French II and in French Literature Honors, described Sitton as a “dedicated student with an ear for French, which I believe he gets partially from his musical talent.” She added that Sitton, whose mother is part French Canadian, has participated in the Texas French Symposium competition for all four years of Upper School, splitting his time evenly between academic events and musical performances.
“Phillip is always inspired and excited about his work in French,” she said.
Sitton has found a sense of community in his ensembles. After spending days exploring and performing at numerous European churches and cathedrals during spring break last year, Kantorei, the highest level of choir offered at St. John’s, became a much closer-knit group. Similarly, Sitton feels a kinship with his fellow Jazz Band musicians and bonds with them over the challenge of the music.
As a choir director for Middle and Upper School students, Scott Bonasso has known Sitton since the sixth grade when he was in Boy Choir. Bonasso also knows Sitton’s father, who plays numerous instruments just like his son. He saw how music ran in the family and took notice of Phillip’s own talents.
“As he’s gotten older, he’s become one of those anchoring presences,” Bonasso said. “He leads with his strong musicality and dependability, and it’s one of the ways I’ve seen him grow after all these years.”
As an AP Music Theory student in his junior year, Sitton made an impression on his classmates.
“He was able to hear all sorts of stuff that the rest of the class was struggling with, and I don’t know if he has perfect pitch, but it was darn close to it,” The Review Copy Editor Riya Nimmagadda said.
Sitton has also delved into rock and rap genres. He recently performed “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus on drums alongside seniors Lillian Cykowski, Ally Rodriguez and Print Editor-in-Chief Lucy Walker at the annual senior showcase assembly.
“Normally, I perform solo or as part of a section, but in a rock band, it’s so essential that everyone has really good control over their individual performance while meshing perfectly together,” Sitton said.
Sitton hopes to continue playing instruments and learning more about musical composition after graduation by minoring in music at Carleton College.
“It’s just what he needs to continue to build from where he is,” Bonasso said.
Sitton said he will continue to express his passion for music beyond Upper School.
“I’ll always love music. I listen to all kinds of stuff at home, and at school we perform music from across the entire planet, and across centuries,” Sitton said. “The great and more unique thing about music is that it is so easily shared with others.”
