Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil O’Neal.
Born into a musical household in Galveston, Texas, Phil O’Neal was introduced to singing through his mother’s performances at the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, and his father’s extensive record collection. After embracing the joy of performing for live audiences by singing for his classmates in the 8th grade, Phil O’Neal knew that this was the path he wanted his life to take. His respect and admiration for artists like Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, & Brian McKnight, led him to begin playing the piano when he was eighteen so he could accompany his own voice.
The piano would continue to shape O’Neal’s life as he found himself enrolled at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), where he would graduate from with a Bachelor of Arts in Music (piano). O’Neal’s time at his alma mater was not just a learning experience, it was a life experience; everything he took from there served to help make him more dedicated to his craft and even more talented as a musician & teacher. Shortly after graduation in May of 2001 O’Neal moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth area to attend the University of North Texas to work on a master’s degree in Vocal Jazz Studies. His career in education began in the fall of 2004 in the Richardson Independent School District, where he worked as an elementary music teacher at several campuses and was the Head Musician at the New Mt. Zion Baptist Church in the Hamilton Park area of North Dallas where his abilities and skills began to grow to new levels. Phil O’Neal also began gigging heavily in the D/FW metroplex where he became the lead male vocalist/keyboard player in several bands such as the EZY Band, Frank Hasty & DaMerge Band, Rush Hour, The Royal Dukes (Dallas) & others.
He eventually relocated back to the greater Houston area with his wife LaShonda & sons Kai & Taj back in July of 2013. Mr. O’Neal was then hired to be the music teacher at Summerwood Elementary School (SWE) where he founded the nationally known SWE “Shining Stars” Choir and co-wrote the SWE school song “Hail Summerwood” along with the 5th grade class of 2014. He also achieved one of the highest honors in education by being chosen to be the 2017-2018 SWE “Teacher of the Year” and a top 5 district finalist. During this time period, his alma mater, Prairie View A&M University also chose to honor him by selecting him for the prestigious “Top 40 Under 40” award. Eventually, O’Neal was promoted to become the Head Choral Director of Woodcreek Middle School where he has been successfully taking the program to incredible heights. Since his arrival at Woodcreek, the choral program has performed for the Houston Astros, the City of Houston Annual Red Ribbon Rally & has achieved numerous SWEEPSTAKES awards at UIL competitions. The highlight of his professional career was when the Woodcreek Middle School Choir was selected to perform at Carnegie Hall in the summer of 2019.
In addition to being the choir director at Woodcreek Middle School, Mr. O’Neal is also the Worship Leader at the Atascocita United Methodist Church in Atascocita, TX and a regular performer throughout the Greater Houston area in the local music scene. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA) & the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been several obstacles and challenges in my path over the years but the most recent one is definitely one of the most interesting. As I said earlier, last year, my school choir at Woodcreek Middle School was chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall. I was initially contacted by Justin Zang, (a program developer for Distinguished Concerts International of New York) who saw my choir on YouTube singing an arrangement of the Gospel song “I Shall Wear a Crown” which he and his staff absolutely loved! https://youtu.be/B5iE2Vh7PXY
Initially, he offered my school choir the opportunity to come to perform at Carnegie Hall to participate in a performance of The Music of Alberto Grau on the DCINY Concert Series in New York City. I was super excited at the opportunity of a lifetime and I quickly informed the choir parents, students, and my school principal so that I could get approval as quickly as possible. The parents, students and my principal alike were all excited and wanted to participate so I accepted the invitation. Fast forward to about a month later and we all were devastated to find out that the opportunity was unfortunately turned down by my superiors at the district level.
Initially, I was going to just let it go, but about three weeks later around Thanksgiving last year, a friend of mine who is a college choir director in the Dallas area was offered the exact same opportunity by the same company. She posted the picture of her trip on Facebook and I saw the opportunity that I was offered manifested right before my very eyes. It was then that I decided to do something about it and not just let this chance slip between my fingers. Several days later, I spoke with a local pastor about the idea of creating a community choir to perform at Carnegie Hall and I asked if his church would be our sponsor to which he agreed. The Westlake Houston Community Choir was birthed and began to meet in my school choir room once a month in the beginning and we increased our practice frequency as we approached the performance date of June 23, 2019. We also conducted a successful fundraiser to help us raise the funds to get to New York and by early June the entire trip was paid in full for all of the students & parents that were going (approximately 75 individuals between choir students and parent chaperones).
Another unexpected obstacle concerning this trip was presented at the end of the school year when we could no longer meet in my school choir room and the church that was sponsoring us pulled their support. Thankfully, the Atascocita United Methodist Church stepped up and allowed us to use their facility to practice in right up until we left for New York. The trip ended up being an incredible success and I ended up taking 33 students with me (32 being from my school district) to perform at Carnegie Hall to rave reviews.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I have been a professional musician since 1990 and a church choir director since 1998. I sing, play piano, Hammond organ & drums as well as write, arrange & compose music. I have also been a music educator (teacher) since 2004. I specialize in performing the genres of Jazz, Gospel, Contemporary Christian and Rhythm & Blues/Soul music. I am classically trained but I am still more comfortable with the aforementioned styles. I am most proud of my reputation as a great singer & pianist that is sure to give you a great product at an affordable price. What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail, professionalism & the fact that I am credentialed as a musician.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are to begin recording again. My initial motivation for becoming a musician was to record and over the years, I have gotten away from it while focusing on teaching and performing. I plan on releasing some of my original music really soon to get back to my original passion.
Contact Info:
- Email: blackorpheus06@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philoneal1906/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilONealMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackOrpheus06
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/icecoldsinfonian
Image Credit:
Headshot courtesy of Steve Brack
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
