Six Students from Seven Lakes HS Named to All-State Band

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

January 15, 2020

By Jennifer Miko

A group of talented Seven Lakes High School students recently made history when the Texas Music Educators Association named six dedicated musicians from the school to the All-State Band.

The All-State recognition is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. This past weekend, six members of the Seven Lakes High School band were selected to perform in the All-State Band at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention in San Antonio, TX February 15. This is the largest number of students to represent SLHS in the All-State Band, and the most to represent Katy ISD.

All-State Band Members from SLHS

Tianyu (Terry) Zhang, junior - Flute

Yiyian Zhu, junior - Oboe

Abhinav Basvoju, junior - Bb Clarinet

Andrew Wang, junior - Bb Clarinet

Ethan Roberts, senior - Alto Saxophone

Jameson Talton, senior - Tenor Trombone

Social Media Praise

The Seven Lakes Band posted the accomplishment to Twitter: “Biggest congratulations to our students who made the 2020 TMEA All-State Band!!!! What an absolute honor for these students and a testimony to their hard work and dedication to their craft!”

SLHS Principal Kerri Finnesand retweeted the Band’s social media message: “Did you know that SIX is the most All-State Band students that Seven Lakes High School has ever had? And, that Seven Lakes has the most All-State band students of any Katy ISD school!”

All-Star Musicians Chosen from 70K Students

TMEA sponsors the Texas All-State audition process to promote students' dedication to their musical knowledge and skill. Beginning each fall, over 70,000 high school students across the state audition in their TMEA Region. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. A select group of musicians advances to compete against musicians from other Regions in their TMEA Area.

The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in one of 15 Texas All-State Bands, Orchestras, and Choirs.

All-State Performances

This year, the All-State ensembles will rehearse February 12-15 under the direction of nationally recognized conductors. They will perform on the closing day of the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio, TX.

TMEA Dedicated to Promoting Excellence

Initially formed in 1920 as the Texas Bandmasters Association, the TMEA now comprises over 12,000 school music educators dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. One of the goals of the TMEA is to offer quality musical experiences for students and cultivate a lifetime of involvement in music.

TMEA supports the future of music education by offering scholarships to music education majors and by sponsoring the Texas Future Music Educators, an organization through which high school students interested in careers in music education learn more about what to expect in their college education and future careers. 

For more information about the All-State audition process, visit the TMEA website here. 

MORE KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

Follow Katy Magazine on Facebook for more current news.

#CentralGreen #TheKatyGym