In November, students compete with the rest of Mansfield ISD for district competitions. In December, students compete in two phases of All-Region. Those who advance may move on to Area and compete with the best players in the Texas in January to try and make an elite All-State band or orchestra, which both perform at the TMEA convention in San Antonio in February.
"It's the like the biggest musical event in the state, and people from all over the country come to see this convention," Gery said. "It's a very new experience because you're surrounded by the top 1% of musicians. It doesn't matter which instrument, they're all phenomenal at what they do."
Senior Ty Gery first made All-State band as a sophomore, something not many people are able to accomplish.
"I definitely wasn't expecting to place that high, especially as a sophomore," Gery said. "I was excited because it felt like a bunch of hard work was paying off. It was a big surprise, but I was very grateful for the experience."
Since sophomore year, Gery has continued to excel in auditions and in January, became a three-time all-state musician.
"It's really weird, because you get a bunch of expectations, and it kind of adds a lot of pressure to how you're going to perform," Gery said. "Before, you're just competing for yourself, and then one day you walk in and there's a bunch of people asking you if you're gonna get the same results."
Along with being a leader in audition rooms, Gery has taken on several leadership positions in band. As a junior, he held the position of VP of Logistics, and this year he was given the role of drumline captain.
"I'm a very competitive person in nature, which is kind of hard in marching season because you have to get 130 people on the same train," Gery said.
Gery plays tenors in marching band. Marching season overlaps with region etudes, so students have to divide their time between show music and audition music.
"I really like to hunker down whenever I can and focus in on my etudes, because doing well feels cool and I want to replicate that as much as I can," Gery said.
Credits:
Olivia Morris