Johnson Claims UIL 6A State Title
With one final run of its 2020 show, “Know Who You Are,” the Claudia Taylor Johnson Marching Band won its first Texas UIL 6A State Marching Championship at the Alamodome.
From the first hit through the ballad and finale, the show — which included musical highlights from many of its marching competitions over the years —found favor with the field and music judges throughout the season.
The state title capped a successful four-year run by CTJ’s senior class, which was part of five consecutive Bands of America super regional or regional championships, and a BOA Grand National finalist berth in 2019, finishing sixth nationally.
The Texas UIL 6A finalists (total points in parentheses):
State Champion: Claudia Taylor Johnson (10)
Silver Medalist: Hebron (18)
Bronze Medalist: Flower Mound (18)
OTHER FINALIST PLACEMENTS
4th Place: Marcus (20)
5th Place: The Woodlands (22)
6th Place: Pearland (24)
7th Place: Waxahachie (35)
8th Place: Coppell (45)
9th Place: Seven Lakes (47)
10th Place: Cypress Woods (51)
There were 20 6A bands in the state competition.
Johnson’s state title run continued its run of success at the Alamodome. In addition to this year’s first place showing, CTJ has a 6A bronze medalist placement (2014), and Bands of America Super Regional championships in 2014 and 2017. Johnson finished in the top five in the BOA Super Regional there each year from 2012 through 2018.
Even though the pandemic limited competitions in 2020, Johnson was named the UIL Area D 6A Marching Champion following its performance at Jack C. Hays High School in Buda on December 5. That day, CTJ was ranked first in music and marching by each of the five Area D competition judges, with Jack C. Hays finishing second and Harker Heights third in the field of eight 6A schools.
Earlier this season, Johnson won its 13th consecutive “Sweepstakes” from judges at the UIL Region marching contest.
The 2020-21 Claudia Taylor Johnson drum majors, captains, and section leadership has been announced for the school’s 13th marching season and school year.
The Head Drum Major is senior Kadence Koehl, an TMEA all-state trumpeter entering her third season as a CTJ drum major. She is joined by Associate Drum Major Joshua Kraly and Assistant Drum Major Preston Payne, both seniors.
Junior Drum Majors are third-year band members Aidan Souder, Kaitlyn Hawkins, and Matthew Blackwell.
The Woodwind Captains are Jake Glaser (clarinet), Brenna Mitchell (bass clarinet), and Hondo San Miguel (saxophone).
Percussion Captains are Dylan Castellanos and Kayla Baird.
Brass Captains are Adam Angelico (horn), Tommy Brennan (baritone/trombone), and Robert Mullen (tuba).
11 Rate TMEA All-State at Johnson
The Claudia Taylor Johnson Band had 11
members earn chairs in the Texas Music Educators Association All-State
Bands for 2020 — including four who were first place in the room
following Area E auditions.
It was the second year in a row for Johnson
having all-state band members in double digits, and the most of any
school in NEISD. CTJ had 16 make the all-state band in 2019.
The 11 making TMEA All-State Band for 2020 (an asterisk denotes first in the room):
Sarah Harvey,
senior — Eb Clarinet*
Jake Glaser,
sophomore — Bb Clarinet
Brenna Mitchell,
junior — Contrabass Clarinet*
Emma Stoddard,
senior — Bassoon
Kadence Koehl,junior — Trumpet*
Bruno Zuniga-Hernandez,
senior — Trumpet
Eli Canales,senior — Jazz Tenor Trombone
Preston Payne,
junior — Classical Tenor Trombone
Dylan Davidson,
junior — Bass Trombone
Juan Rangel,senior — Euphonium*
Tommy Brennan,
junior — Euphonium
Canales, Zuniga-Hernandez, Glaser, Payne, and Brennan have earned multiple all-state band appearances while at CTJ.
Fifty-one Johnson band members have earned 77 chairs in the TMEA All-State bands in the school’s 12-year history.
See CTJ band members and TMEA All-State bands, a history