By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Before he was wowing the judges and advancing forward on “American Idol,” LaPlace resident Jordan Dorsey was sharing his talents closer to home as a teacher and musician.

Prior to his initial audition for the show last summer in New Orleans, Dorsey was a vocal and piano teacher for summer camp programs at Choice International School of Music and Performing Arts in LaPlace. Choice Chief Executive Officer Antoine Jasmine recalls Dorsey as being incredibly dependable, reliable and likable.

“Our students loved and admired him,” Jasmine said. “His talents really rubbed off on the students he was mentoring.”

Jasmine said Dorsey was the kind of teacher who was very serious about his curriculum and passionate about his work. He said Dorsey was determined to see his students excel and move forward in music.

“He didn’t want to see anyone settle for less,” Jasmine said. “He committed his students to a practice schedule but always encouraged them to have fun with it. He wanted them to see what they could achieve with hard work.”

Jasmine said Dorsey was always a versatile teacher who fit right into the versatility offered at Choice International School. He said Dorsey was able to go from opera to gospel to rhythm and blues with relative ease.

“Music is his life,” Jasmine said. “It is his passion and his drive. We are very pleased to see him go out and do his thing in music on a larger stage, and we hope he continues to carry it on as a career.”

At an even younger age, Dorsey could be seen behind the keys of organs, pianos and keyboards at various churches in the area. From age 10 to 18, Dorsey shared his instrumental talents with New Pilgrim Baptist Church, Destiny Christian Center, St. Joan of Arc Church and Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Brittany Allen, an administrator at Destiny Christian Center, said Dorsey was one of two organists on staff at the church.

“He was very diligent,” Allen said. “It was amazing to see his passion and tenacity for music at such a young age. He was very aware of what he wanted to see himself doing for the rest of his life.”

Allen said Dorsey has grown tremendously from the young boy behind the organ to the person he is now. She said his singing ability has propelled him to a much higher level.

“He is a grownup now,” Allen said. “It is really amazing seeing how well he has done for himself. We are all extremely excited to see him move on. He has the talent and the charisma to really get far.”

After three nights of auditions in Hollywood, Dorsey was among 60 contestants to get the green light from the judges to advance. His quest will continue tonight and Thursday with a round of performances from Las Vegas focused on the singing of Beatles tunes. “American Idol” can be seen locally on WVUE channel 8 starting at 7 p.m.