Monday, May 6, 2024
One of the most elite accomplishments as a high school musician is to earn a seat in one of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State ensembles (choir, band, orchestra) and get to be a part of the convention in February.
Over 16,000 choir students state-wide start this process in the summer and fall, and through three rounds of intense auditions, only 600 will make an All-State ensemble. Specifically in the Small School All State Mixed Choir, there were over 2,200 individuals who started the process and only 112 seats in that choir. The competition is fierce.
At Gatesville High School, we were elated to have had six highly-motivated and prepared students in the final round, which is called Area. At the end of the Area round, we had two students earn All-State seats, and one who earned First Alternate. This was a first for Gatesville Independent School District Choir, to have more than one student achieving this level.
Senior Anna Phillips earned third chair in the Alto section. This was only Phillips’ second year participating in the process, and her first time making it to the Area round, so the stakes were high for her as a Senior. Her preparation and determination were apparent: she did most of the preparation work on her own, so we were ecstatic for her to have this opportunity and reward her for her hard work. She will attend Belmont University in Nashville next fall to study Music Business.
Sophomore Paisley Wells earned third chair in the Tenor section. Wells made the first-round last year, but didn’t advance beyond that, making her progress all the way to the top this year even more exciting. She chose to sing Tenor (which is typically a male voice part) because she enjoys singing in her lower register, and the tessitura of the music is kind of high for a male voice, so she felt it would be comfortable for her. She is excited for the future and the potential to make the All-State Choir additional times.
Junior Memphis Wells earned 5th Chair in the Bass section. There are 24 individuals competing in each voice part, so the fifth chair is really good, but our Area only gets four seats in the All-State Choir. Wells has advanced to the Area round for three years in a row, and it was heartbreaking to land in fifth this year. First Alternate means that if a Bass ahead of you can’t attend the convention, you get to move into that spot, but that didn’t come to fruition this year.
Gatesville High School had an additional three students competing in the Area round, who all placed in the top third of the audition scores, and we are very proud of them as well as they will come back next year even hungrier to get a seat in the choir.
At the Convention, Anna and Paisley were mind blown hearing the first sounds of their first rehearsal. Each day they had multiple two-to-three-hour long rehearsals with their Clinician Dr. Eduardo Garcia-Novelli from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Garcia-Novelli not only inspired them to make phenomenal music, but to also be great humans, and kept them entertained in the process with his unique sayings and teaching style. While at dinner one night, Phillips said, “This is literally the coolest thing I have ever done in my life.” Paisley went into it thinking it would be cool, but underestimated the impact it would have on her. Having participated in other State level Choirs (TCDA JH All State Choir and FFA State Chorus), she felt like it would be somewhat the same, but it wasn’t, it was so much more.
The final event for the All-State Choir was to perform their entire set in the Stars at Night Ballroom of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. There were 5,000 people in attendance from across Texas and the world. Many are choir directors and voice teachers, and many are family and friends who traveled for hours to hear the group. Their Concert consisted of 10 amazing pieces, one of which was an SATB arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” they learned in one rehearsal! Six of the pieces were prepared along the audition process and used for cuts at the various rounds of auditions (along with individual sightreading). The other three pieces were given to them in January and were learned prior to the February convention. One of the pieces was a World Premier (Wiracocha), which was commissioned by their Clinician specifically for the TMEA SSC All-State Choir.
As their director (and mother of one of them), I attended many of their rehearsals and every time I found myself in awe. Having worked on the music with them for months, I basically knew the pieces, but there was just something so inspiring about hearing it all together with the various instruments and/or soloists that I just couldn't put my finger on. Sometimes, I would purposely leave the rehearsal room because I wanted to save the surprise of how it would sound for the final concert, and boy I’m glad I did. The concert was epic.
Each of the 10 songs brought a new and wonderful layer to the level of difficulty, variety of styles and languages, as well as the artistry and musicianship they had been working toward. By the final piece, the entire audience was just elated.
As a high school choir student, I auditioned in the process every year, and while I was pretty successful, I never made the All-State Choir. It didn’t stop me from pursuing music, or wanting to teach it, but I will say that being there with our students this year was a great way to experience it, 20 something years later.
Gatesville High School has had several students make All-State over the last 24 years, and the choral program has been very successful, but this year has been extra special. Not only did the choir have multiple students make it, but the band program also had a student make it.
Our students not only excel in music, but they are also skilled athletes, participate in many of the CTE classes, are high-achieving academically, and are just great kids to be around. We enjoy teaching them and love watching them succeed in whatever they do, especially music. We look forward to the rest of the school year, as we still have multiple contests and trips to take with them.
The fact that they work so hard makes us so proud, and we feel blessed to be their leaders. Please consider coming to a performance, you won’t be disappointed.
