November 28, 2023 - Davenport High School musician, Matthew Stanford, is a two-time All-State Jazz musician after making the All-State Jazz Band for the second year in a row on drum set.
“Making it once is tough, and it is even tougher a second time when the pressure is on,” says Jeffrey Keyes, band director at DHS. “We are super proud of Matthew.”
This is the seventh time a band student has earned a chair in an All-State ensemble from DHS in its four years. All-State Concert Band auditions are in January.
Auditions for All-State Jazz begin each fall across Texas with the best high school band students selected to rehearse and perform during the annual Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention in February.
The 2024 All-State Jazz Band for the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) will be conducted by Noe Marmolejo, the director of jazz studies at University of Houston.
The ATSSB has commissioned Aaron Lington to write a piece for the All-State Jazz Band that will be premiered at the February concert.
-Matthew Stanford, a senior at Davenport High School, was named to the All-State Jazz Band for the second year in a row.