Dr. Harris teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) on the voice faculty of the Pre-College division and as an adjunct professor in the music history and literature department where he created the first ever class at SFCM on art songs by black composers. He also teaches a Hip Hop class at West Valley College and is music director at Downs Memorial United Methodist Church. He was previously performing arts chair and vocal music director at Head-Royce School, a vocal music teacher at Menlo School, a voice teacher for P.A.L.S. at the Aspen Music Festival, as well a music teacher at Convent & Stuart Hall. 

 

An avid researcher on the classical songs of black composers, he has given lectures on the topic at Peabody Institute of The John Hopkins University, Westminster Choir College, University of California, Santa Cruz, Alabama State University, and San Francisco City College. Co-chair of Student Auditions for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, he has held masterclasses at Alabama State University and Los Medanos College. His students have graduated from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, placed in vocal competitions with NATS, Elite International Music Competition, American Protégé International Vocal Competition, and the Junior Bach Festival. Other students attend Oberlin Conservatory and Interlochen. Phillip earned voice degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Doctor of Musical Arts), the University of Michigan (Master of Music), and the University of California, Irvine (Bachelor of Music).