Five Midland Independent School District students qualified this year as Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) "All-State," though they won't get to go this year because of the pandemic, according to separate announcements.
"Congrats to our five students who were named All-State by the TMEA," the school district said in a Feb. 11 post to its Facebook page. "We had three musicians named to All-State Band and two named to All-State Choir."
Midland High School senior Coby Mount and junior Ryleigh Kitch each earned a spot on the All-State band with Mount qualifying on baritone saxophone, and Kitch on the bassoon, according to a Feb. 11 school district announcement.
Lee High School junior Braxton Leek qualified for trumpet and seniors Tayo Dada and Carson Page were named to the TMEA All-State Choir.
"Congratulations to these students for this monumental achievement," school district Fine Arts Director Deb Shaw said in the announcement. "This is an outstanding way to represent our schools, our district and our fine arts programs."
The five, like all the All-State honorees, went through a highly competitive audition process that began with regional auditions in November.
The top group then advanced to an area round in January that featured auditions of top high school musicians from across West Texas. Only the top performers earned "All-State distinction."
A full list of honorees is available on the TMEA website here.
TMEA has long sponsored the Texas All-State audition to promote student dedication in musical knowledge and skill and to encourage educator support for their students, according to information on the association’s website. The audition attracts more than 70,000 Texas high school students each fall with only the highest ranking making All-State.
This year, the TMEA executive board reluctantly decided to not host an in-person All-State performance due to the still on-going pandemic.
"This unanimous decision was based on thoughtful investigation and considerable deliberation," TMEA's website stated.