Three Dragon Musicians Named to TMEA All-State

Dragon Jazz Orchestra members Chase Adams and Tori Thomas were named to the elite TMEA All-State Jazz Ensembles, and junior violinist Grace Xu was named an All-State member in the TMEA Sinfonietta Orchestra. In all, five Dragons in the Carroll Jazz program placed in the top 15 in the State on their instruments.

For Chase and Tori, the audition process began with thousands of students auditioning at the Region level around the State in September and culminated in the selection of two 20-member jazz ensembles this week. Chase will be playing trumpet in Jazz Ensemble 1, and Tori will be playing tenor saxophone in Jazz Ensemble 2. The ensembles will rehearse and perform at the annual Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio February 12-15.

“Making All-State is a major goal for any motivated band student in the State, and Tori and Chase worked so hard all throughout the Summer and Fall to achieve it,” said David Lown, CISD Director of Jazz Bands. “It’s awesome to see them reap the rewards of their hard work. They have a really great opportunity in store for them now as they head to their bands with the other top musicians in Texas.”

Grace will also be attending the TMEA Convention in San Antonio in February, attending rehearsals throughout the week and performing a convert with the all-state orchestra Sunday afternoon. “We are super excited for Grace and this accomplishment,” said Dragon Band Director Ken Johnson. “We cannot wait to see her excel at the convention and look forward to seeing her represent Carroll ISD in the all state-orchestra.”