They say that everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the All-State competition sponsored by Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA). This year, seven band students, eight choir students and 12 orchestra students were able to secure a coveted spot on their respective All-State groups, which performed in San Antonio on Feb. 13.

Perhaps the most celebrated aspect of the school’s large presence in the competition is the fact that two seniors–orchestra student David Danjul and choir student Hayley Leavell– were able to obtain membership during all four years of high school.

“All-State is the next level in the All-Region process,” Orchestra Director Ryan Ross said. “Students who are selected through the very competitive audition process go to San Antonio in February to perform at the TMEA conference with all the other top musicians in the state of Texas.”

Each organization, whether it is band, choir or orchestra, goes through varying cycles before reaching the final performance in San Antonio. While choir goes through four different audition rounds, beginning with pre-Region in the fall, band and orchestra only go through two rounds, starting with All-Region. Additionally, the selection process differs among the organizations.

“For orchestra, the audition process is a little bit different than band and choir in that they guarantee spots for a set number of students from each region, whereas the orchestra doesn’t care where you’re from,” Ross said. “It’s just if you’re good enough.”

The pathway to State is not where the differences among each group ends.

“With the choir audition, it’s actually the individual singing,” Choir Director Kathy Hackett said. “They have to be physically healthy. In band and orchestra, it doesn’t really matter if you have a cold or sore throat because their instruments are not their bodies like it is for choir students. Also, their voices change throughout the years, so it’s harder to accomplish a four year award like this.”

To earn this honor four times in a row is a rare phenomenon that only a select few in the school’s history have been able to achieve. It is no secret that it takes practice and commitment from both students and teachers in order to accomplish such a feat. However, with each year, both Danjul and Leavell changed their tactics in regards to their auditions.

“Before, my teachers had to tell me specifically what to do for every note,” Leavell said. “Now, I feel like I instinctively know what to do to frame the music, whether it’s to crescendo or pick out important words to emphasize.”

With each year comes a different experience. Leavell admits that each year has gotten less nerve-wracking. Danjul, on the other hand, tells a different story.

“As a freshman, I wasn’t sure how much I should practice for the audition or what to expect, so it was pretty stressful,” Danjul said. “But as each year progressed, I wasn’t as nervous and I kind of got used to it. However, this year I was actually really nervous because it’s weird to have only three years of All-State instead of four, so I had to work really hard this year to secure a spot.”

The nerves and stress are well worth the reward.

“The All-State convention has given me the opportunity to experience a high level orchestra that no other student in the country has probably experienced as a high schooler,” Danjul said. “Honestly, I feel really grateful to have been a part of an experience that most people have not been in.”

Unlike the audition processes, the students’ experiences once getting to San Antonio are nearly indistinguishable. Each student arrives at the historically rich city on the Wednesday before the performance for three full days of rehearsal. Of course, without work there is no gain.

“It’s one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done,” Leavell said. “I spent hours preparing for it, and once I got to the All-State convention, it was so nice to sing with a lot of talented people.”

Danjul and Leavell are no strangers to musicianship, and it is no wonder that their four-time admission to All-State has helped shape their future career goals. While Danjul has decided to stick with the musical route going into college, Leavell sees a different destiny ahead of her.

“It would be so easy to go into music education, and I know that I could excel in that, but I actually want to do communications studies, such as public relations and advertising,” Leavell said. “I think that my ability to perform and audition, which is related to public speaking, and not get scared will help me in that field.”

Finally, for all students hoping to follow in the footsteps of Danjul and Leavell, they have one message.

“Practice,” Leavell said. “A lot of the times, people mess up because they don’t have the music committed to their muscle memory. My mom and I always say ‘don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong.’”