The band had strong performances overall at the Texas All-Regional Band Auditions in Midland.  All seven participants performed well and several were in great position to be top qualifiers but came up a bit short. However the band sees positive progress that can be built upon.

  “I think the kids did well, even after coming up a couple of chairs short the seven participants had success,” Band Director Armando Martinez said

  While not qualifying for state, senior percussionist Edgar Santellanes feels he made a strong showing.

  “I felt like I did great, I was four chairs away from making state and seeing so much talent within the competition was really eye’ opening as well as an awesome experience for not only myself, but for also the rest of our players,” Santellanes said.

  While this competition might be the last one for the seniors, Director Martinez feels this competition played a bigger role in development.

  “The kids have been practicing their music since August on top of their normal practice, so they were more than ready and saw the competition as a eye’ opener,” Martinez said.

  Senior trombone player Andrew Aparicio feels this was a good learning experience for the seniors, as well as the for the upcoming members who plan to compete next year.

  “Even though I felt like  didn’t have my best performance, the preparation for the audition helped me grow as a musician, and contributed to my college audition preparation,” Aparicio said.

  Although the participants fell just short of their goals for the season, the future looks bright.

  We’ve had all-Staters in the past, so the future looks bright for these individuals, especially the underclassmen who participated,” Martinez said.