February 14, 2017

 

 

 

Granbury High School band student Ian Cone performed with All-State ensembles to close the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) state conference at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio on February 11, 2017.

 

Cone, a sophomore, sat ninth chair among French horn players in the All-State Symphonic Band. The ensemble, which was composed primarily of students from Class 6A high schools, was under the direction of Kevin Sedatole, director of bands and music professor at Michigan State University.

 

 

All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive.  The seven students were chosen through a competitive process involving several levels of auditions held this school year throughout the state.  Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part.  From this ranking, a select group advances from each of the twenty-eight regions to compete against others in seven area competitions.

 

Only five hundred are selected for the state ensembles from among almost 60,000 band, choir, and orchestra students that initially entered the multi-level musical competition.

 

Cone is pictured above: top - with composer John Mackey, who wrote "Wine-Dark Sea" performed by the state ensemble; bottom - with Acton Middle School band director John Morgan (left) and GHS band director Mark Eastin.