Life in Perspective: Roger Norman from Friend to Musician

Another article I did for a class assignment on a friend of mine.

Walking across campus for Roger Norman is not just the average student’s trip to class. He says “Hello” and stops to talk to multiple people along the way, leaving wherever he is a few minutes early just to make it to class on time. Roger has a charming smile, an all around inviting presence, and caring heart. He is one of those guys that everyone seems to know but do you actually know who Roger Norman is and who aspires to be one day.

            Wherever Roger has been you can bet that he has left his presence in some way; for many people outside of Arkansas Tech, Roger has left them in awe of his musical abilities. Roger acknowledges that a lot of his musical awareness is contributes from genetics; his mother is a choir teacher and his dad writes music and plays guitar as well.  He has gown up in a home where music was all around him. Playing drums since second grade and guitar since the eighth grade Roger started following in his parents’ footsteps from an early age.

Continuing his pursuit of music through high school, Roger is now involved with playing the drums and guitar for many different bands. From leading worship at various churches to the “Arkansas Tech Band of Distinction,” Roger is actively involved in a life centered on music.

Roger focuses on song writing and the artistic expression of music. The music he plays in greatly influenced by world instruments, especially those that are percussion based instruments. Roger says, “To me music is everywhere. In the moments I least expect it, something can come along and set off a spark inside of me which ignites my creativity.” He cites everyday noises as influences; from birds chirping to the beep from a truck backing up, he gets inspirations for anything.

Being a junior level college student, Roger is now starting to look into the future. He wants to continue his development of music on into grad school. Cities like Nashville, Austin, or other musically geared areas are where he is centering his search for a college.  Roger says that he would love to one day end up making music professionally but knows of that does not happen he still has that passion for music that has carried him this far.

Next time you see someone walking across campus remember that they have a story to tell, and there is more to them then what you might know. Look for Roger in the future, musically or professionally; with his desire and passion his career in whatever he chooses will be fruitful.