Thomas County Schools has again dominated the annual Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) District 2 Honor Band auditions that were held on Dec. 5 at Colquitt County High School in Moultrie.

More than 500 high school students from 20 high schools registered to audition for 193 positions. Central students won 71 of the total seats.

More than 350 middle school students from 20 schools registered to audition for 98 available seats in the middle school honor band. Thomas County Middle School students earned 36 of them.

Michial Mayhall, Centraql band director, said “Members of the honor bands are selected through a strict audition process and we are very fortunate to have this many Thomas County students selected.”

GMEA divides the auditions for high school students into two bands. The Concert Band is for freshmen and sophomores, and the Symphonic Band is for juniors and seniors. The Middle School Band includes 7th and 8th grade students.

Thomas County Middle School band director William Majors had the responsibility this year of organizing the entire District Honor Band audition event. He said, “I had fun organizing the auditions for the district this year. It was a pleasure to get to know other band directors in the district better and I learned a lot!”

Of the 71 Central District Honor Band students, 12 earned first chair on their instruments. In the Symphonic Band, first chairs include Kelsea Bradley, bass clarinet; Colby Clanton, primary timpani; Cody Knapp, clarinet; Jeremiah Spencer, trombone; Miles Tolbert, bassoon; Loren Towns, French horn; and John Davis Turrentine, tenor saxophone. In the Concert Band, first chairs include Blake Barrett, primary timpani; Mary Bea Carstens, oboe; Brittany Hopkins, bass clarinet; Mariah Slaughter, contrabass clarinet; and Lillie Smith, trumpet.

Of the 36 TCMS District Honor Band students, seven placed first chair on their instruments. First chair TCMS band students include Sydney Roberson, flute; Bailey Slaughter, bassoon; Laura Hopper, clarinet; Kristen Heatter, bass clarinet; Karlie Whitted, alto sax; Brian West, tuba; and Maggie Bowden, snare drums.

Twenty-eight of the Central students scored well enough on the first audition to move on to a second audition that will determine the members of the GMEA All-State Band. Twelve of the TCMS students also scored high enough to participate in the second round for All-State Band.

Two Central band students, Kristoff Cohran on the trumpet and Rachel Burke on the piano, were selected to perform in the 21 member All-District Jazz Band that will perform for the Honor Bands opening ceremony on Feb. 18.

The GMEA District Two Honor Band Clinic will be held at Norman Park on Feb. 18-19, culminating in the District Honor Bands Concert on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Norman Park Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.