by JIM CULLEN
Anyone who pays attention to the music education program at Hays CISD knows the tradition that follows that program. Underlying both the Hays and Lehman programs, though, the district’s middle schools are providing the building blocks for the future.
No fewer than 35 local middle school band students attained District Band recognition and twenty-four of those qualified to advance to Region Band tryouts. They were among almost 600 area-wide students auditioning at the Texas Music Educators Association All-District Auditions at Austin’s Westridge Middle School.
Wallace Middle School grabbed eight District Band slots and advanced five of those to Region tryouts. Rangers director, James Malik, noted his pride in the hard work necessary to become “some of the very best middle school musicians in Central Texas.” Malik called attention to the Rangers’ most successful showing in some time and said of his band, “These students are helping create a winning culture for our band program.”
The advancing band members were to compete in their Region Band auditions at Austin’s Covington Middle School and results of that competition will be carried in these pages in an upcoming issue. The campus-by-campus results of District Band recognition include the following:
Chapa Middle School – Alexandra Williams, Neriah Sosa, Kayla Bryson; all advance to Region.
Barton Middle School – Justice Winn, Sabrina Smith, Katlyn Hellmer, Clay Parham, Benjamin Volker; Winn, Hellmer, Parham, Volker advance.
Wallace Middle School –Brenna Veloz, Sierra Herrera, Ariana Romo, Miguel Santos, Jacob Lambert, Arathan Dean, Adam Vargas, Isaiah Valtierra; Herrera, Lambert, Dean, Vargas, Valtierra advance.
Dahlstrom Middle School – Emily Yager, Haley Gonzales, Sabrina Guerra, McKenna Murphy, Alexandra Byrne, Emilee Whitton, Reid Johnson, Gloria Mena, James Collins, Eric Kroeger, Gracie Hough, Tenay Barker, Nicole Sandoval, Austin Uresti, Sarah Thompson, Logan Pool, Brett Williams, Chris Deleza, Jacob Ryan; Advancers include Yager, Byrne, Whitton, Johnson, Mena, Kroeger, Barker, Sandoval, Uresti, Pool, Williams and Deleza.
