February 17, 2020 

Granbury High School students Alyssa Garcia and Hannah Swaim 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 15, 2020. 

Garcia, a senior trumpet player, performed with the Class 5A All-State Symphonic Band led by Kevin M. Geraldi, conducting professor and Director of Instrumental Ensembles at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Garcia (center) is pictured with (left to right) Acton Middle School band director John Morgan, GHS band director Mark Eastin, and GHS assistant directors Katelyn Johnson and Alan Olmos. 

A junior, Swaim sang with the All-State Treble Choir.  That concert was conducted by Julie Yu, Co-Director of Choral Studies at Kansas State University.  Swaim (center) is pictured with (left to right) GHS choir directors Kyle Wheatley and Kendra Fisher. 

All-State is the highest honor for a Texas music student.  The two 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 regions to compete against others in 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.  Those selected participate in three days of clinics and rehearsals prior to the All-State concerts.