Royd Phipps - Drumming Is My Calling
"It's a love," he said. "It comforts me when things go wrong. But most of all it's a love and a passion."
On January 1, 1999 Royd Phipps took up duties at the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports and in the Department of Culture in St. Kitts he serves as a Folklore/Drumming Officer. He has been playing the drum for over 20 years and says that the-reason why he drums is just a mood and feeling.
"It's a love," he said. "It comforts me when things go wrong. But most of all it's a love and a passion."
Phipps said that the drum is a calling, however, though there are many books that speak of drumming and teaches drumming it takes real dedication to master the skill.
And for Phipps it is different, his skill of drumming is deeper than most people's skill, 'his' stems from his grandfather who he says was the foundation of it all.
His uncle also influenced him and so both men are the main influences why he is attracted to the drum today.
"For me when doing just a drum logy for listening pleasure I put myself in a mood, you hear things and rhythms comes
"For me when doing just a drum logy for listening pleasure I put myself in a mood, you hear things and rhythms comes naturally." Said Royd naturally. The drum itself has different notes," he said. "When creating a rhythm for a dance group I always try to find out from the chorographer what she wants and then creates the rhythm to go along with her dances."
As a dedicated teacher of drumming Phipps perceive drumming to have an effect on children in particular. He says the kids are now very excited to drum and strongly believes this is part of his calling. "They want to get into the drum core to perform on the annual program."
His service to the community is nothing short of being outstanding, giving of his time to conduct free drumming sessions for the youths, running workshops and providing musical accompaniment for contestants in both local and overseas pageants.
His goal is to act as a role model for the kids.
"I would like to see the kids change their thinking about life and get into something positive like drumming," he said. "I show the kids a lot of love and respect so mainly just to act as a role model for them would be something great and life achieving."
He has helped persons such as Carla Johnson to become the first Kittitian to capture the Miss OECS title and also Youlouca Armony who captured the same title as well. They are both former Miss National Carnival Queen Winners.
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