Hidalgo ISD’s Early College High School (HECHS) takes pride in their Band program and all they have accomplished throughout the years.
Six HECHS students were not only selected to perform in the All-State Band concert but also placed at the highest levels.
“Being selected for the Texas All-State Band Honor is a significant achievement for a band program,” explained Band Director, Jorge Lozano. “It indicates that one or more of its members have demonstrated tremendous musical talent and skill.”
The following are the six students that placed in the Texas All-State Music Ensemble held at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio: Jordann Ruiz (3rd Place), a senior, who plays the flute, Sofia de Leon (2nd Place), a junior, who plays the Bb Clarinet, Jaqueline Castro (5th Place), a senior, who plays Bb Clarinet, Claudia Gamez (6th Place), a junior, who plays Bb Clarinet, Gilberto Sotelo (1st Place), a sophomore, who plays Contra-Bass Clarinet, and Uriel Rivera (1st Place), a junior, who plays Bass Trombone.
This is the second year consecutively that Hidalgo ISD has the most students from any other 4A High Schools that were selected to not only sail off to the All-State Band Competition but also receive an outstanding placement.
The students selected to perform in the All-State concert have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level.
Before advancing to the All-State competition, students perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument part individually. It’s a process starting with advancing to Area with a good placement in the Region tryouts.
“From there, the challenge gets more difficult as you face on more challenging fellow band members across all of Texas for a spot in the All-State band,” stated Rivera.
From this ranking, only a selected group of students/musicians advance from their Region to compete against others from other areas within the same division.
“The Texas All-State Band is a highly competitive and prestigious ensemble,” added Lozano. “This recognition reflects positively on the individual student(s) and brings honor to the entire band program, showcasing its commitment to musical excellence.”
De Leon is immensely proud of herself and all the hard work her and her classmates have put forth into advancing and placing at the Texas All-State Band competition.
“Making the All-State competition is an amazing accomplishment because it is a reflection of our hard work and dedication,” stated, de Leon. “For me it means a lot to receive the title of an All-Stater not just for the prizes or the recognition but most of all for the experience and opportunity to gain experience as a musician.”
All-State is the highest honor a student can obtain. It is a time-consuming process that begins with over 70,000 students throughout the state and only 1,875 students were selected.
For the students, the work does not stop here, on the contrary, it helps them to continue to work even harder.
“Making it and placing at the All-State was no easy challenge, it came with much dedication and hard work, but the work doesn’t end now, it must continue,” Rivera explained. “I’m lucky to be surrounded with great classmates and awesome band Directors that have helped me to get where I am today because without them, I wouldn’t be here.”