(RED OAK, TX) — Two Red Oak High School students were recently selected as Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State Musicians and will perform at the upcoming TMEA Convention in February. Congratulations to senior Michael Yeldell for his selection to the All-State Tenor/Bass Choir and junior Logan Belschner for his selection to the All-State Band as a Bassoonist. Both were chosen for this prestigious honor through a competitive process held this year across the state at the District, Region, and Area levels.
Red Oak High School had 21 students compete in the UIL Area Band contest where Logan was selected for All-State. Michael was the only Hawk who advanced to Area and finished in the top five to be selected for All-State.
Michael Yeldell, ROHS senior, sings at school under the direction of Cassie Arrington and Reagan Dunn, who are members of TMEA. This is Michael’s first time to perform as a member of a TMEA All-State organization. Michael, who also plays on the Hawks Mens Soccer team, is the child of Dwaynetta Russell and Michael Yeldell.
Logan Belschner, ROHS junior, was selected for the second year in a row and is the first ROHS Bassonist to make All-State. This past summer, he received a UIL State Champion Medal as an Outstanding Solo Performer. Logan swept all three competitions – earning first chair in All-District, All-Region, and All-Area. At Red Oak High School, he plays the euphonium for Marching Band, trombone for Symphonic Band, and bassoon for Wind Ensemble. Outside school, he takes lessons from members of the Allen Philharmonic and Dallas Symphony orchestras. Logan plays under band director Justin Wood, also a member of TMEA. Logan is the child of Stephanie and Chuck Belschner.
High school students selected to perform in the All-State concerts have competed through auditions to qualify at the state level. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. 1,875 students were selected through a process that began with over 70,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of 18 ensembles.
Texas Music Educators Association sponsors the Texas All-State competition. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 TMEA Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument or voice part. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other areas in eight TMEA Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the TMEA Area competitions qualify to perform in a TMEA All-State music group. Only the top 2.6% of musicians who initially audition become All-State musicians.
These All-State students participate in four days of rehearsals directed by nationally recognized conductors during the TMEA Clinic/Convention. Their performances for thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close. For the All-State concert and conductor information, go to the Performances section of www.tmea.org/convention.
About TMEA
Since 1920, the Texas Music Educators Association has worked to ensure excellence in music education for all Texas students. TMEA’s 19,800 members include over 13,800 school music educators who belong to one of five TMEA Divisions: Band, Orchestra, Vocal, Elementary, and College. Members elect Vice-Presidents to their Division to guide the Division’s programming. On behalf of its members and Texas students, TMEA monitors the actions of state decision-making bodies on issues affecting fine arts instruction in Texas. In addition to many member benefits, TMEA offers professional development for its members through workshops and its annual Clinic/Convention that hosts over 30,000 attendees. TMEA supports the future of music education by offering scholarships to music education majors and sponsoring the Texas Future Music Educators, an organization through which high school students interested in careers in music education learn more about what to expect in their college education and future careers.
Go to www.tmea.org/convention for more information about this event.
