This year I was fortunate to attend my first TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association Convention), held in San Antonio. The stars aligned and I had a total of five performances (?!?) at the convention, including one world premiere.

Music education is Texas is an inspiring thing to see. The amount of dedicated teachers, the size of the audiences, the enthusiasm for music - it’s amazing.. Here is a quick rundown of my performances that took place at TMEA this year:

The Sam Houston State University Wind Ensemble premiered “Lamentation for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble.” Irving Ray, Euphoniumist in the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” was the soloist in this new work written in memory of his older brother Isaiah. Brian Gibbs conducted the wonderful SHSU students in a moving performance that capped one of the most rewarding collaborations I have been a part of. The audience was huge and encouraging, cheering on the students before they even began their first piece!

The Baylor University Wind Ensemble, directed by Eric Wilson, performed “Into the Silent Land.” I had the pleasure of working with the ensemble in a short rehearsal the day of the concert, and was blown away by the musicality of this ensemble. Their concert was packed and the final piece on the program was Omar Thomas’s “Come Sunday.” The audience was cheering throughout the piece as sections of the ensemble stood for featured moments. I have never been to a wind ensemble concert that had that much energy from the audience - it was incredible.

The Texas ATSSB All-State Symphonic Band (Association of Texas Small School Bands), conducted by Eugene Corporon, performed “Magnolia Star.” I had the chance to visit a rehearsal with the ensemble and hear them play. They were cookin’ on this piece! It was an honor to be on their program.

The Texas Community College Band Directors Association (TCCBDA) All-State Symphonic Band, conducted by Sarah McKoin performed “Into the Silent Land.” I visited with the group in a rehearsal and had a wonderful time not only listening to them make beautiful music, but also answering questions they had about the piece and other topics. It was a great experience.

Finally, the Texas 6a All-State Concert Band, conducted by Robert Ambrose performed “Magnolia Star.” It was so much fun to stand in front of this group of students and hear them play. The sound was glorious! I had the chance to meet many of the players and their families after the performance and the whole experience was really inspiring.

THANK YOU to all of the conductors and performers who brought this music to life. What an amazing time - thank you Texas!