A cacophony of brass and woodwinds followed Grammy Award-winning music educator William Allen as he weaved between practice rooms and performance halls on Southern University’s campus Tuesday.
He ducked into the classroom of a former professor, taking a moment to reminisce and tell the handful of students present what brought him to Southern that morning.
“This is your home,” Professor Craig Heinzen said, bringing Allen in for a hug. “This will always be your home.”
The trip, Allen said, marked a “full-circle” moment. As a student at the historically Black university 16 years earlier, he revived the dormant annual Southern University Concert Band Festival, a judged event for middle and high schoolers to test their musicianship and experience what it’s like to play on a college campus long known for its band prowess…