Area Student Selected As Texas All-State Musician

WHEN: 1/7/2016
WHERE: TAMU-Commerce
WHAT: Area student chose to perform in Texas All-State Music Ensemble

Over 68,000 students initially enter the All-State competitive process
1,780 students are selected to play in 15 All-State ensembles (bands, orchestras, and choirs)

All-State performances are part of the annual TMEA Clinic/Convention, Feb. 8–11, 2017. Over 29,000 people from Texas and beyond will attend over 280 workshops, 100 performances, and visit over 1,300 exhibit booths at this nation’s largest music educators’ convention.

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INFO: www.tmea.org/convention; 903-737-7400 ext. 2529

Deja Sikes, a member of the Paris HS Chorale will perform with the Texas All-State Mixed Choir in San Antonio, Saturday, February 11, 2017, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center as part of the 2017 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. They chose her for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at District, Region, and Area levels. Deja sings at school under the direction of Jan Blize who is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, a 12,000+ member organization headquartered in Austin. This performance is Deja’s third time to perform as a member of a TMEA All-State organization. Deja is the daughter of Billy Sikes and granddaughter of Billie Boaz.

High school students selected to perform in the All-State concerts have competed through several levels of auditions beginning in the fall of 2016 to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. There are 1,780 students selected through a process that begins with over 68,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 15 ensembles (bands, orchestras, and choirs).

Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking players judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. Only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State players.

These All-State students participate in three days of rehearsals directed by nationally recognized conductors during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close. For the All-State concert schedule and director information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.

The Texas Music Educators Association is an association of over 12,000 school music educators dedicated to promoting excellence in music education. Go to www.tmea.org/convention for more information.