Page 19 - 2018 June BMR

KHS America Announces

2018 TBA Melody Competition Winner

Congratulations to Jose Salinas, freshman at Glenda Dawson High School in Pearland, TX,
for being selected as the winner of the 2018 TBA Student Melody Competition. Mr. Salinas
began playing the tenor trombone in 6th grade band and plays the bass trombone in his high
school wind ensemble. Jose also plays the piano and likes to compose music. He recently
wrote a piece for his high school choir. In addition to playing in his school’s ensembles, Jose
is a member of the Houston Youth Symphony and studies Music Theory.
Jose’s winning melody, titled “Inevitable,” will be used as thematic material for a new wind
ensemble piece composed by Grammy nominated composer Rick DeJonge. The resulting
piece will be premiered by the United States Air Force Band of the West on Thursday, July 26
at 7:30 p.m. in the Lila Cockrell Theatre during the annual Texas Bandmasters Association
Convention/Clinic. As the composer of the selected melody, Jose and his parents, along with
his band director Ryan Agard, will travel to San Antonio and be given accommodations at
the Marriott Riverwalk. They will attend this premiere performance, all courtesy of the KHS
America Academic Alliance.
The 2018 Student Melody Competition received 76 entries submitted by 6th-12th grade
students from across the state of Texas. A panel comprised of KHS America Academic
Alliance musicians, educators, composers and industry professionals initially narrowed the
field to three finalists before selecting the
winning melody. The 2nd and 3rd place
melodies will be featured on the Jupiter
website and Jupiter Facebook page, with
one being posted each week starting
on Monday, May 21 and continuing
through Monday, May 28.

Bandmasters Review • June 2018 17 Texas Bandmasters Association