Livingstone College

SALISBURY — The Blue Thunder Marching Band rolled into New Orleans this week in search of good music and good food.

Make that music makers and culinary creators.

Dubbed the Livingstone College New Orleans Takeover, the full band along with admissions, financial aid and culinary arts staff members presented its first-ever program at Landry-Walker High School in New Orleans on April 24. The college conducted on-site admissions, on-site band auditions and band workshops.

Several high schools throughout New Orleans participated.

“The New Orleans recruitment effort intends to establish a pipeline between the high schools in New Orleans and Livingstone College,” said Livingstone President Jimmy R. Jenkins Sr. “This event gives students in New Orleans a chance to meet personally with our faculty and staff, to ask questions of our financial aid and admissions officers, and to be entertained by our dynamic marching band.

“Since transportation is a challenge in getting those interested students to us, we went to them,” Jenkins said.

Livingstone College boasts a marching band, symphonic band, jazz and pep bands, a concert choir and a gospel choir. It is the only historically black college in North Carolina with a culinary arts and hospitality management program, operated from a hotel owned by the college.

“New Orleans has good food and good music, and we want to have the same things here at Livingstone College,” said Anthony Jones, Livingstone College band director. “That’s why we went to the source to recruit from a pool of great musicians and chefs in the making.”