Seven Upper School students were selected for the Texas Private School Music Educators Association All-State Band. The clinic will be held from Jan. 25-27 with a concert at Southern Methodist University on Jan. 27.

The Greenhill students who earned a chair were junior Christan Park, flute; sophomore Rachel Jiang, flute; senior Ayne Park, flute; junior Aditi Vikram, clarinet; freshman Collin Sun, bassoon; sophomore Vincent Le, trombone; senior Pranav Joshi, euphonium; and sophomore Sanay Nesargi, bassoon.

“I’m really excited because I’ll get to spend a lot of time with the Greenhill members who did get selected, and it’ll be super fun,” said Vikram.

Students from both private and home schools will audition for a spot in the All-State Band. They receive two etudes, one slow and one fast piece, at the beginning of summer. They practice it for an audition recording due by the end of November. This recording is taken by Middle School and Upper School Band Director Brian Donnell to ensure fair competition. Band directors in Texas will judge these recordings and the top students will have the opportunity to play in the All-State Band.

“[These clinics are] very fun and a great opportunity to create music at a higher level,” said Jiang.

During the clinic, students will practice for multiple hours with breaks to socialize and interact with students from other schools. Every year the Greenhill students go to a social event together. Last year they went to Main Event, and the year before they went to the Greenhill vs. St. Marks basketball game.

“It’s really fun to perform with them and learn from the conductors,” said Vikram.

The TPSMEA concert allows students to play and socialize at a high level of playing.

“I’m proud of the students. I’m always proud of the students,” said Donnell.