All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. Over 1,700 students are selected through a process that begins with over 64,000 students from around the state vying for this honor to perform in one of the 2 ensembles. This competitive process begins throughout the state in auditions hosted by 33 ATSSB Regions. Individual musicians perform selected music for a panel of judges who rank each instrument. From this ranking, a select group of musicians advances from their Region to compete against musicians from other Regions in five ATSSB Area competitions. The highest-ranking musicians judged at the ATSSB Area competitions qualify to perform in a ATSSB All-State music group. These All-State students participate in three days of rehearsals directed by nationally recognized conductors during the annual state TMEA Clinic/Convention in San Antonio February 8-11, 2017. Their performances before thousands of attendees bring this extraordinary event to a close. We would like to congratulate the following Van Alstyne Band Students, Mckenna Apodaca and Alex Roddy, on receiving this honor.