Two graduating Alamance Community College students from Mebane are taking the skills and credentials they acquired in the school’s Fine Arts Music program with them to their respective four-year campuses this fall.

 

Ray Phillips and Youssef Mostafa are both earning associate degrees from ACC, but their music ambitions and education do not end here. Ray Phillips will be attending Appalachian State University where he will continue his pursuits by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts. Meanwhile, Youssef Mostafa will transfer to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he intends to major in biology and minor in music.

 

Both Ray and Youssef owe the strengthening of their musical abilities to Dr. Roger Lane’s commitment to the Fine Arts program at ACC. With Lane as their guide and mentor, Ray and Youssef are well suited to excel in their individual endeavors as they prepare to leave Alamance Community College.

 

“We have a lot of excellent students studying in our music program at ACC. Ray and Youssef are among some of the most outstanding,” said Dr. Lane. “Neither had extensive musical training before coming to ACC but have since become fine performers. It’s really satisfying to know we’ve provided them with the skills they’ll need to succeed in future musical studies as they move on.”

 

Music Graduate Will Pursue Performance Degree at ASU

Ray Phillips, 19, of Mebane always knew he would attend a community college after earning his GED. His goal was to earn his required credits for lower tuition costs before transferring to his dream school, Appalachian State University. But the chief reason to enroll first at Alamance Community College was to take advantage of its Fine Arts program and earn his associate’s degree.

 

As a tenor, Ray wanted to expand his repertoire and learn more about musicology in a smaller setting with a gifted teacher. This he found at ACC with Dr. Roger Lane.

 

“I have a deep passion for music,” said Ray. “So, when my mom and I learned about the Career and College Promise (CCP) opportunity with ACC’s Fine Arts program, I decided to take everything I could to enhance my knowledge in performing.”

 

Building on his past experiences in middle school band as well as playing trumpet and baritone, Ray delved deeper into music education during his time at ACC. Under Dr. Lane’s tutelage, he took show choir, individual singing lessons, piano, music theory, aural skills, and many other classes. When it came time to apply to Appalachian State University (ASU), he had to audition for the Hayes School of Music to be accepted into that program. With Dr. Lane’s guidance, Ray took a couple of months to learn two “art” songs and his performance granted hm admission into ASU’s music performance program.

 

Recently Dr. Lane recorded Ray Phillips’ performances of two other art songs in their original languages: the Italian “Come Raggio Di Sol” (“Rays of the Sun”) and the German “Ich Grolle Nicht” (“I Won’t Complain”).

 

As Ray pursues a Bachelor in Performing Arts at ASU this fall, he knows the education he received in ACC’s Fine Arts Music curriculum placed him on the right path.

 

“My dream job down the road would be to perform my own music,” he said. “I hope to learn more about composing at ASU, but really I just want to perform.”

 

CCP Student Plans to Study Biology and Music at UNC

Youssef Mostafa of Mebane followed in his mother’s footsteps by taking music classes with Dr. Roger Lane when he reached his junior year at Eastern Alamance High School. As a Career and College Promise (CCP) student, Youseff earned college credits while still in high school not only in ACC’s Fine Arts Music program but in the sciences, his intended major.

 

“I have always been interested in medicine, and biology is an excellent major to start with for that field,” said Youssef. “I love science of all types - chemistry, biology, even physics. That fact combined with the service aspect of healthcare makes being a physician feel like a good fit for me.”

 

But Youssef’s talent for music has resulted in his intention to continue with those studies as well. Like his ACC classmate Ray Phillips, Youssef played in his middle school band, starting with clarinet and picking up the tenor and baritone saxophones.

 

“I really enjoyed it but didn't take music seriously in high school after the onset of COVID. I picked up the guitar in early 2024 and started taking lessons that fall after being inspired by a family member's playing,” said Youssef. “I distinctly remember hearing him play Ben Folds' The Luckiest on piano and getting chills throughout my body. This visceral reaction made it clear to me that I had to pick the instrument up myself.”

 

Currently Youssef’s academic goals are separate, although he acknowledges that combining biology and music in some fashion would be a fun pursuit. For now, he plans to minor in music at UNC, taking a lesson every semester and getting involved in the music community, either by joining an official group or just networking in the department.

 

“Having a lasting impact on people is really important to me, so I think that my goals of becoming a physician while simultaneously pursuing music are a great way to do that,” says Youssef. “Music has had a profound effect on my life, and I know that it can have the same or an even stronger impact on the lives of others.”