You might not have seen Paul Frias, but you sure have heard him. His love and talent for music, his dedication to keeping his practices, and the values he holds close, make Frias the determined, hardworking, and dedicated person he is today.
Last year, Frias was in four different acts for Mr. Norristown, playing instruments in two and singing in one. The fun he had bringing a little of himself on stage convinced him to perform his own senior show.
Frias cites orchestra teacher Jemma Malkasian as the person in the school who most helped him become the musician he is today, “She brought out a passion in me playing the viola,” said Frias. “At first I didn’t care much about playing, but as the years went on and I progressed, I found more of a love for it and wanted to play better.”
His passion for music extends outside of school and continues into his everyday life.
“I give a huge thanks to being raised in a music family,” he said. “As a kid, my mom, my grandpa, my sister, they all sang in our church choir and they still do, so I was always around that as a kid.”
Thanks to this, Frias said he now has an ear for music and a talent to easily pick up on different instruments, like bass, guitar, and drums, although the viola is the instrument he practices most.
“Music is a comfort for me,” said Frias. “When I handle [strong emotions], I usually listen to music, and it just helps me calm down. Playing music is a way to get my mind off of everything.”
Besides Frias’s rich connection to music, a less surprising—mainly because he is very soft-spoken and well-mannered—outlet of expression he pursues is tennis.
“At first it was kinda hard to do because it looks easy but it’s a really hard sport. But I won a game and it motivated me to do better in the sport. Also, having friends makes it a lot more fun because it’s okay to make mistakes.”
Frias deals with his mistakes and emotions with an encouraging outlook, saying, “I think that nowadays people often brush [their mental health] off a lot because some people see it as weak, but I think it’s something people should talk about because being able to speak about it is a very strong thing to do. And we should encourage more but not force it on people.”
In the past year, Frias has found his peace, motivation, and perspective in his Catholicism. Frias spoke about how his religion helped him become a bit more forgiving and patient with others.
He refers specifically to two verses: “John 15:18-20, where Jesus says, ‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first,’ and Matthew 5:44, ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’”
Like music and tennis, Frias believes faith is something you need to work at. “I think I’ll always have questions about it, and I think that that’s the beautiful thing about faith, because if you can always prove it then there is no faith, it’s just a fact.”