CTJ Sweeps Captions In McAllen
The Claudia Taylor Johnson Marching Band swept captions in finals and preliminary performance on Saturday, winning the Bands of America South Texas Regional Championship in McAllen with a finals score of 79.80.
It was the fourth consecutive Bands of America regional or super regional win for CTJ, and the second time the band has won the McAllen event in the past four seasons.
It was the debut competition outing for CTJ’s 10th anniversary show, “Tremendous Sea of Love,” a theme which honors and remembers Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy on the 50th anniversary year of their assassinations and is a reminder of their words about love, peace, and what it means to be an American. Music in the show includes “Symphony No. 1, Op. 9” by Samuel Barber, “Lisbon Sailor’s Dance” from “Lincolnshire Posy,” “The Water Is Wide,” and “America the Beautiful,” among others.
Johnson’s finals score was more than three points ahead of Katy Seven Lakes High School (76.450). John B. Alexander High School finished third out of the 10 finals bands with a score of 76.050.
In preliminary performance, Johnson was named the Class AAAA champion, sweeping the captions for Outstanding General Effect, Outstanding Visual Performance, and Outstanding Music Performance. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Johnson has been awarded 21 out of a possible 24 captions in Bands of America events.
Next week, CTJ will compete in the BOA Austin Regional on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Kelly Reaves Athletic Complex in Round Rock.
Six From CTJ Honored In Jazz
Six members of the Claudia Taylor Johnson Jazz Band program have been named to the Texas Music Educators Association All-Area/All-Region Jazz Band following auditions this month.
Those honored are: Isaac LaVigne, senior, drum set; Juan San Miguel, junior, alto saxophone; Hondo San Miguel, sophomore, baritone saxophone; Connor Tipton, senior, trumpet; Eli Canales, junior, trombone; and Tanner Clemmons, sophomore, guitar.
These six students will perform with the TMEA All-Region Jazz Band in late January or early February 2019. They will have the opportunity to audition for the TMEA All-State Jazz Band in a few weeks.
CTJ Fourth in 6A State Honor Band
The Claudia Taylor Johnson Wind Ensemble finished fourth out of 16 6A schools statewide at the Texas Music Educators Association 6A State Honor Band Hearing on July 26 at
the Texas Bandmasters Association Conference in San Antonio.
The top five bands included the 2018 Honor Band Vandegrift (first), Flower Mound (second), Duncanville (third), and Coppell (fifth).
“We are thrilled to be included in the TMEA State Competition,” said CTJ Director of Bands Jarrett Lipman. “Our students understand the great challenge of advancing through the elimination process and recognize the incredible company they are a part of at all three levels of the contest. While the competitive results are always an exciting part of the process, the recordings and memories through preparing the for the state contest will last a lifetime. It was an amazing ride for the 2018 Wind Ensemble, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.”
The CTJ Wind Ensemble had placed first at the TMEA 6A Area E and Region 12 Honor Band hearings in June, advancing the group to state. The showing was Johnson’s third Top Five statewide finish in Honor Band competition since 2012. CTJ finished in third place in the 2014 TMEA 5A competition, and fifth in the 2012 TMEA 5A competition.
