For the first time in the history of the Foundation for Music Education Citation of Excellence competition, Humble ISD has two winners in the same year.
This year marks the ninth year of the Citation of Excellence competition, which is for Texas non-varsity high school and middle school bands. This year, 100 entries, which are recordings from the 2022-2023 school year, were submitted from across the State of Texas.
The Atascocita Middle School Symphonic Band was named a Commended Winner in Band Class A.
“We teach our kids to work as a team and always strive to be the best teammate you can be,” Atascocita Middle School Band Director Kayla Wood said. “Having them earn this award proves that hard work pays off and they created a beautiful musical experience. The students being recognized on a state level is truly an honor.”
The AMS Symphonic Band was directed by Danielle Dewees last year, who is now at River Pines Elementary.
“Thanks to our talented students, directors, and supportive parents for making this possible,” Dewees said.
The AMS Symphonic Band recorded Tanchozuru by Randall Standridge, Mystery Ride by Terry White and Collegiate March by David Martyn for the competition.
“We picked these pieces because we knew it would be a challenging program and the kids would learn a lot from rehearsing the music,” Wood said. “The level of difficulty is a grade higher than is required for their classification, and we knew it would showcase the talents of the students.”
Woodcreek Middle School Sinfonia Orchestra was named a Commended Winner in the String Orchestra category.
“It is a great honor and accomplishment for the group to earn this distinction in a competition with non-varsity groups across the United States,” Woodcreek Middle School Director Joshua High said. “It was a great opportunity to show off their abilities and the hard work and dedication required to meet the highest standards of performance.”
The WMS Sinfonia Orchestra submitted their performances of Premonitions by Larry Neeck and Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song by Brian Balmages for consideration.
“We felt that these were their best recordings of the year that highlighted and demonstrated their ability to play with high levels of musicianship for their classification,” High said.
The top 25% of entrants are recognized as Citation Winners, with the second 25% named as Commended Winners.
The Citation of Excellence project seeks to recognize and award outstanding achievement in performance by non-varsity high school and middle school bands and orchestras. A unique competitive environment is created which allows ensembles to compare their performance quality to other outstanding non-varsity ensembles.