Junior Lathen Barr and freshman Maddox Humphries represented the Wylie’s Pure Gold band as part of the All-State 5A Symphonic Band at the 2024 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention on Feb. 10 in San Antonio, Texas. This is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive.
Barr and Humphries were selected for this prestigious honor through a competitive, year-long process that required the two musicians to compete across the state at District, Region and Area levels. According to TMEA, the process began with more than 70,000 musicians across the state vying for this honor and ended with 1,875 students earning the honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles. Music students performed selected music for a panel of judges who ranked each instrument, which then advanced the student to the next region to compete. Barr and Humphries excelled to the top 2.6 percent of musicians that initially audition.
Barr and Humphries are music students of Mr. John De La Garza and Mr. Guy Gamble and under the direction of Kyle McDonald.
The All-State students perform for thousands of attendees in a concert that closes out the TMEA convention, which was held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Barr and Humphries participated in four days of rehearsals directed by nationally recognized conductors. More than 30,000 people from around Texas and the world attend this convention, participating in clinics, visiting over 1,200 exhibit booths and attending 100 performances.
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By Kristen Johnson