Four Alexander students earn chairs in All-State Band - Laredo Morning Times

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John B. Alexander High School is proud to announce that four students have been hosted by the Texas Music Educators' Association Statewide Band, which is the highest honor a Texas music student can achieve.

The head of the band, Joshua Martinez (Joshua Martinez) is proud of the students' achievements this school year, as the chair is contested by more than 50,000 musicians across the state. After passing regional and TMEA regional competition, a total of 1,860 students were selected this year. UISD stated that only the highest ranked musicians are eligible to enter the statewide music group.

Martinez said: "What our students can achieve in this statewide band is a huge achievement, considering the situation at the time, we are proud of them."

The students are Lily Moreno, Jacob Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez and Adrian Perez. Their dedication and talents in their respective bands have won multiple praises through UIL competitions (including solo and ensemble competitions).

Martinez said that the road to the statewide band is a year-long multi-level competition where students in Laredo's band compete with each other and with other parts of Texas. Each student is assigned a TMEA etude corresponding to their instrument and is responsible for virtual performance for the jury.

Moreno said: "From the first time I read the etude to the last record I submitted, the statewide progress is very exciting." "Every time the results come out, I get excited, which gives me something worthwhile. What to look forward to, it’s hard to find during a pandemic."

According to Martinez, under normal circumstances, students will focus on marching bands while the statewide game is approaching. He said that he and the AHS band staff agreed to focus more on the state, because students can almost participate.

However, he and other employees understand the disappointment of freshmen who were unable to join the marching band, the must-haves for band members, and how the pandemic has changed the upper classes of the school. Nevertheless, Rodriguez said he hopes to continue to inspire young peers throughout the rest of high school.

Perez said: "As a freshman, I didn't have enough experience with the TMEA audition process, so I was very worried at the beginning of the journey." "Nevertheless, I tried persistently to surpass what I thought I was. An achievable goal. This great achievement has taught me a valuable experience of hard work and optimism in navigating the world of music."

In order to solve this problem, the AHS band members spend most of their time on the basic knowledge of the state and all students. Martinez was happy to praise that more than 100 students went to the school district and more than 80 students went to the school district, which is a new record for AHS.

"For me, the entire TMEA virtual audition process is a huge roller coaster journey. From slowly learning my statewide music in July to recording the audition in the area in January, it was very stressful." Gonzalez Say. "However, I spent the time I spent during the quarantine period and used it as an advantage to learn and grow as a musician. Currently, I am particularly proud that I can achieve my goals, especially during these periods. I hope I can not only make progress as a musician, but also as an individual."

"Success breeds success," Martinez said.

Martinez added that he believes the success of these students and many others will enable the students they inspire to achieve more.

"Based on the results, we discussed with the band members how success breeds success, and even more so, how success is contagious. Therefore, throughout the journey, the achievements of each member, no matter how big or small, help motivate their peers. Including these statewide musicians, and ultimately contributed to their growth and award-winning performance." Martinez said. "The John B. Alexander High School Band continues to move forward with the ideal of "We should defeat".

cocampo@lmtonline.com