Lufkin High School Music Students Named All-State

Congratulations are in order for several Lufkin High School students who have been selected as Texas All-State musicians. Thye include, Senior, Claudia Salazar (3rd Chair All-State Mixed Choir), junior Yisselle Castro (2nd Chair All-State Mixed Choir), senior Luke Little (1st Chair Trombone), and senior Case Shockley (1st Chair Percussion) selected as Texas All-State musicians.

High school students selected to perform in All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can achieve.

Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 T MEA Regions.

Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight T MEA Area competitions.

The highest-ranking musicians judged at the T MEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a T MEA All-State music group—only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.

"It's harder to make All-State than to get into Harvard, percentage-wise," Little shared. Extensive preparation and dedication go into making it to this level and all of the work begins in July, with practice time increasing throughout the year, all while juggling team performances during football season and regularly scheduled holiday shows.

Both choir and band participants utilized camps and resources at SFA as part of their preparation. Choir Director Nicole Stewart expressed her thankfulness to the Gear Up partnership, which provided students with the experience of the college/program visit and helped cover the camp costs. "We sent the most kids to camp this summer that we've ever had," Stewart shared.

Lufkin ISD is proud to provide music enrichment at all grade levels. Mrs. Stewart attributed the success of these four students largely to the musical role models and mentors who supported them along the way.