CINCINNATI — Dave Allen is stepping down as director of the glee club at Elder High School after 57 years, but his influence on Cincinnati's music community shows no signs of fading.
The 87-year-old's first job in Cincinnati was as music director at Saint William's Catholic Church, before he got the call from Elder.
"Our glee club director got sick .... they needed someone to fill in. I said sure. Here I am still filling in," Allen said.
He is now preparing his students for their spring concert and a performance in Europe this summer.
Brady Telger, glee club president and senior at Elder, said Allen's impact goes beyond music.
"He shows us how to be the perfect person just by always being there for us, teaching us how to sing well and always listening to us when we need somebody," Telger said.
WATCH: Students of longtime glee director, Dave Allen, share the impact he's had on their lives
Several former students echoed that sentiment. George Brunemann, a glee club member from the class of 1977, said the lessons he learned under Allen have stayed with him for decades.
"School was a lot of stress for me. I met Dave and became part of the glee club at a really critical time. Having music as an outlet turned out to be a lifesaver for me," Brunemann said.
Even now with a focus on engineering, math and science, Brunemann said the time he spent with Allen is "ingrained" in him.
"This other side of learning how to make harmony with other people and work together, and it was a life skill that has become useful in ways you'd never imagined," Brunemann said.
When asked what kept him at Elder for so long, Allen pointed to his students.
"That's what it's all about, the development of the students, that's the biggest reward," Allen said.
Retirement will not mean silence for Allen. He plans to continue conducting the Cincinnati Metropolitan Orchestra and remain a founding member of the Seton-Elder Performing Arts Series.
"Such a powerful experience to be next to someone with this much talent, this much personality and given that the effect it's had, it's hard to imagine not being part of that after all these years," Brunemann said.
Justin Kohler, music director at Seton High School and the Seton-Elder Performing Arts Series, said Allen's approach to teaching left a lasting mark on him as well.
"As a student, he makes you feel so welcome, like you can really grow in his classroom, so as a teacher now, I try to echo that model and pass it on to my students so they can grow their talents and abilities," Kohler said.
In Allen's honor, Elder is holding a Dave Allen Tribute Concert on Saturday. All money raised will go toward a scholarship in his name.
"I know there are tons of people that he's influenced. If they don't have careers in the performing arts, they've definitely gone on to keep singing in community events or performing in other ways, and it's all been because of him, so I hope he knows that he's been just a really influential figure on the west side of Cincinnati and at Elder and Seton," Kohler said.
Allen said the lessons music teaches are ones that last a lifetime.
"This is not something we just do now, it's something that you're building inside of you, and it becomes a part of your life. It's an exciting thing to do," Allen said.
Telger offered a final message to his director.
"Everyone loves and cares for you. Even though you're entering retirement, you mean so much to all of us no matter what," Telger said.
Marco Colant at Seton High School will take over for Allen.
