The Association of Texas Small School Bands announced that Early High School band member Ryan Contreras was selected to be a member of the 2013 ATSSB All-State Band.  More than 9,000 high school band students from across Texas auditioned in twenty different regions for a place in their respective all-region bands.  Students in the local area auditioned on December 1, 2012 at Hamilton High School for the ATSSB Region 7 Band.

The top chairs in each region advance to the five area auditions across the state and only 240 of these 1360 students were selected for all-state honors. The ATSSB All-State Bands will meet in rehearsal in San Antonio, Texas, February 13-16 and will present a concert beginning at 9:30 am on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in the Lila Cockrell Theatre of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.  Dr. Peter Boonshaft, Director of Bands at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York will be the clinician-conduction of the All-State Symphonic Band.  Larry Gookin, Director of Bands at Central Washington University, will be the clinician-conductor of the All-State Concert Band.  The Concert Band will premier an original Festival March by William Owens which was commissioned by ATSSB.

Contreras is the first EHS Band student since 2006 to earn this honor and only the fourth since 1992.  Selection as a member to the ATSSB the highest individual honor that high school music students of small schools can earn in the state of Texas.  Ryan is a private student of Stephen Goacher, a professor at Howard Payne University, and plays saxophone at Early High School under the direction of Jason Jones.  This is his first time to perform as a member of the ATSSB All-State Band. Ryan is a senior and one of the current Drum Majors for the Early Band.  He is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, National Honor Society and has participated in Academic UIL, Spanish Club, and Key Club. He plans to attend college and purse a degree in music.  He is the son of Gilbert and Josie Contreras of Early.

Ryan also recently performed as a member of the ATSSB All-Region Jazz Band in Stephenville on Saturday, January 26th (pictured above).