TMEA 2024

Percussion clinics and performances – including two All-State Percussion Ensembles! – could be found throughout the annual Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention held in San Antonio February 7-10, 2024. With over 30,000 people in attendance, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center was full of music educators, students, exhibitors, and family members.

Five percussion ensembles from Texas were prominently featured during Showcase Concerts in Bridge Hall. On Thursday afternoon, Austin’s McCallum High School Knights of Steel, under the direction Ryan Pride, was the first percussion event at TMEA 2024. (Their steel pan ensemble celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023.) Later that afternoon, the Calallen High School Steel Band from Corpus Christi, under the direction of Nicholas Goodman, showcased their calypso classics for an enthusiastic audience.

Friday morning began with a concert by TMEA’s invited percussion ensemble from Roma High School in the Rio Grande Valley. Under the direction of Moses Simon and assistant conductor Josue Ortega, they performed five world premieres – “Palio di Siena” by Clif Walker, A. Favian Treviño’s “Damas De Las Aguas Oscuras,” Ethan Hight’s “A Ringing in the Distance,” two movements from “Loteria” by Francisco Perez, and “Superhero” by Matt Ehlers – along with Brian Zator’s arrangement of David Maslanka’s “Time Stream.” The ensemble also featured two guest artists: snare drum soloist Roger Carter in “Cucuy” by Joe W. Moore III and Carter, and Ivan Trevino on cajon in his “Pajarito.”

There were two more Showcase concerts on Friday. McMurry University’s Percussion Chamber Group, from Abilene, performed under the direction of Juan Mendoza. The TAMIU Percussion Ensemble, from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, was under the direction of Mark Boseman. The final Showcase concert was on Saturday morning, featuring 7th-and-8th-graders from Chapa Middle School in Kyle. Under the direction of Orion Wysocki, the Chapa percussionists played four pieces, including the premiere of “Sound the Alarm!” by Darrien Spicak.

Friday afternoon saw an enthusiastic performance by the Rockin’ Longhorns from Neill Elementary School, under the direction of Staci Waites. The 50 4th-and-5th-graders, from the Fort Bend ISD in Richmond, played four tunes, including their signatures “Livin’ on a Prayer (Bon Jovi/arr. Waites) and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” (arr. Downs).

Percussion soloists were also featured with other performing ensembles. Dr. Oliver Molina, Director of Percussion Studies at Northwestern State University of Louisiana, was the marimba soloist with the Mineola High School Percussion Ensemble, part of the 3A Honor Band Concert. They performed “Inferno” by Steven Wimberly, under the direction of Donald Myer, MHS Director of Percussion.

There were also several clinics, starting Thursday evening. “Firm Foundations: A Guide to Sequencing Percussion Pedagogy” was presented by John Bingaman, Director of Percussion Studies at Byron Nelson High School in Trophy Club. He was assisted by the beginning percussion classes from Medlin and Tidwell Middle Schools, located in the Northwest ISD.

On Friday afternoon, a clinic on keyboard percussion solos, “Grade 1 Mallet Solo Selections by Ability Level” was presented by Dr. Benjamin Charles, Caleb Lenard, Christina Hurlbut, Moses Simon, Kevin Feldser, and Dr. Brian Zator. Chase Banks, Education Technology Marketing Manager at Hal Leonard, presented “Futuristic Percussion: Life Beyond the Bell Kit” which showcased how to incorporate mallet percussion MIDI controllers and music notation software into a percussion curriculum. Eric Rath, Director of Bands at Canyon High School, and Landry Kendrick presented “Cultivating Percussion Ensemble Excellence in Small Schools,” accompanied by the Canyon High School Honors Band Percussion Ensemble.

Saturday was the day for All-State performances, beginning with two percussion concerts. The 5A All-State Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Scott Herring (Professor of Percussion at the University of South Carolina), performed three pieces: “Nalu” by Francisco Perez, Dave Hall’s “Doors,” and “The Pocket-Sized Funk Machine” by Matthew Kilby. The 11-member ensemble was comprised of Luke Jenkins (Hallsville HS/Longview), Ethan Gopez (Memorial HS/Frisco), Max Rattleff (Lovejoy HS/Lucas), Joshua Zhou (College Station HS), Ella Kinney (Birdville HS/North Richland Hills), Adalberto Ortiz (Lopez HS/Brownsville), Luis Carlos Garcia (Roma HS), Pierce Lowe (Argyle HS), Carlos Castro (Panther Creek HS/Frisco), Django Gregersen (Canyon HS/New Braunfels), and William Drake (Midlothian HS).

The 6A All-State Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of John Parks (Distinguished Teaching Professor at Florida State University), performed three works: “Factions” by Lynn Glassock, Jim Casella’s “Beyond the Clouds,” and Luis Rivera’s arrangement of “The Fairy Garden” by Maurice Ravel. The 12-member ensemble consisted of Scott Cripps (Dawson HS/Pearland), James Powers (Dawson HS/Pearland), Nevin Zetino (Eklins HS/Missouri City), Juan Castillo (Rivera HS/Brownsville), Isaiah Krepelka (Sotomayor HS/San Antonio), Umair Ashraf (George Bush HS/Richmond), Adrian Hautea (Hebron HS/Carrollton), Ryan Gover (Cinco Ranch HS/Katy), Dennis Gonzalez (Rio Grande City HS), Elias Kim (Heritage HS/Colleyville), Kamron Brown (Lake Ridge HS/Mansfield), and Ben Guidry (Hebron HS/Carrollton).

During the three day convention, there were dozens of exhibitors displaying and selling percussion instruments, mallets, and music in the large exhibit hall. TMEA also thanked Ludwig-Musser (a division of Conn-Selmer) and Pearl Drums/Adams Instruments for providing all the percussion equipment for the All-State ensembles.

The Texas Chapter of PAS held its annual meeting during TMEA. Texas PAS President Andrew Eldridge presided over the meeting, along with officers Brad Meyer (Vice-President) and John Bingaman (Secretary). [Treasurer Genaro Gonzalez was unable to attend.] In addition to dozens of Texas PAS members, PAS President Julie Davila and PAS Second-Vice-President Dr. Lamon Lawhorn were in attendance.