Lawrence Rawlins Sr., Band Director
Lawrence Rawlins has been The Roots of Music’s Band Director since 2008. His responsibilities include arranging music for the marching band, organizing performances, and supervising daily operations.
A native of New Orleans, Lawrence began his musical studies at the age of 8. He went on to study music at Southern University at Baton Rouge where he was Bandsman of The Year in 1994 He holds an Associate in Music Education at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
Lawrence has been a Band Director in the New Orleans school system since 1998, first at the High School and then at the Middle School level. His marching bands have been the recipients of numerous awards across the South. He co-founded the 1st New Orleans All-Star Marching Band and had the honor of marching in the world famous Tournament of Roses Parade in 2007. Lawrence is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.
Allen Dejan, Music Education Coordinator
For the past four years Allen Dejan has served as the Music Education Coordinator at The Roots of Music. His duties include mentoring all new incoming students, preparing them for the performance ensembles within the Roots of Music and graduating them into their band sections.
A native of New Orleans, Allen comes from a family steeped in musical tradition. He has performed with a venerable list of local, national, and international performers including, Delfayo Marsalis; Ellis Marsalis; Leroy Jones; The Original Hurricane Brass Band; The Tuxedo Brass Band; The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra; The Soul Rebels; The Uptown Jazz Orchestra; Jennifer Hudson; and Raphael Saadiq. Allen holds a Master of Music Degree from the University of New Orleans, and is also an instructor of Jazz Saxophone at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Jeffrey Hills, Lower Brass Director
Bio coming soon
Shoan Ruffin, Percussion Director
Bio coming soon
Sophie Gavin, Program Assistant
Sophie came to The Roots of Music as a volunteer tutor in June 2011 and is currently our Program Assistant. Sophie makes sure that the program’s buses run, all our meals are delivered, and the tutors are in place for the academic mentoring portion of the program. Sophie also keeps you updated on all of our Roots happenings via our website, Facebook and Twitter.
Clair Wilkins, Policy Coordinator
Clair joined us from Cardiff, Wales in June 2012. She has a Ph.D in Political Science and left a career in academia to become The Roots of Music’s Policy Coordinator. Clair is responsible for putting in place the policies and procedures that keep The Roots of Music running smoothly and being the best organization it can possibly be.
