AMS band brings home wins

The Anahuac Middle School band has had great successes over the years, and recently, it hit new highs, excelling in competitions.

Over the summer, the AMS band entered two contests, the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series and the Music for All National Festival, excelling in both.

"It was an amazing experience. They played beautifully and was the last time that we as a band would be able to perform together for the school year," said Director Morgan Contreras, explaining the band's May performance at the University of Houston Moores Opera House.

The audio clip from that concert led to the band being one of 12 middle schools selected to perform at the Music for All National Festival at the Schrott Center for the Arts in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"The students put in countless hours of rehearsal during and after school," Contreras said.

Bands of all sizes from across the country submitted the audio, and judges listened to the concert as a whole. In mid-July, Contreras received the news that the band was selected for the festival.

"I couldn't believe what I was reading," Contreras said. "Knowing who all has been selected in the past to perform and now earning that same opportunity as a small school is one of my proudest achievements that the students have been able to earn for our program."

As for the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series, the band won both the march and concert categories for the first time.

Contreras said the band was a state finalist the past four years and won first in the concert category in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

There are three rounds for this competition, including region, area and state rounds, and Contreras noted each round gets increasingly more difficult.

The band competed against nine other schools in the march category and 11 schools in the concert category.

For this competition, schools were roughly the same size in terms of student enrollment, and judging was based on individual pieces rather than the entire performance.

The band was recognized at the last Anahuac Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting, where AMS Principal Lynna Stephenson commended the band on their hard work.

"The kids, they practice so hard. There's not a missed moment where they're not doing what they need to be doing to get there," Stephenson said. "I'm just so proud of y'all."

Currently, the band is working on fundraising efforts to help with costs for the Indianapolis trip.

Those who wish to receive notifications about upcoming fundraisers or donate can contact Contreras at contrerasm@aisdpanthers.com.