Another monumental victory was won by high school students in Greenville ISD’s Suzuki Strings Program over Memorial Day weekend.

The UIL State Competition in music is a three-day event held every year over Memorial Day weekend at the University of Texas at Austin. More than 20,000 students from across the state of Texas attend this event to perform and compete for the highest honors.

For the quartet, this lifetime experience was a year in the making. All four members had been rehearsing and practicing their individual parts since before the first day of classes last year. They were also attending quartet coachings afterschool and during Academic Advisory periods with Margaux Pisula and Muriel Kerr, the GISD Suzuki cello teacher. Such dedication paid off when the quartet received a Division 1 rating at the UIL Regional Competition, held at Longview High School on February 20^th. Their rating automatically advanced them to the State Competition. The three months leading up to this event were filled with more rehearsals and coachings to further refine and polish not just how each member played their individual part, but also how the members performed together as an ensemble. The quartet was also given several opportunities to perform their piece before an audience, such as the Threadgill Concert Series in March, the Kiwanis Club in April, and the Suzuki Strings Program’s Formal Spring Recitals in May.

On the afternoon of May 30^th, the quartet performed their piece, the third movement of Mozart’s 2^nd String Quartet in D Major, before a judge. Performances are graded using the same methods as the regional competition – on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest rating that can be awarded. Judges at the state competition are also much more particular about details in a performance.

At the end, the quartet received a Division 2 rating. “This was huge news when we found out two hours after they had competed,” stated Margaux. “We are very proud of Julie, Jessica, Shea, and Ryan for this achievement, not just for themselves, but for the GISD Suzuki Strings Program as well. These students are also the first ones in our program to have this experience. And while achieving a Division 1 rating is the ultimate goal at this event, their hard-earned 2 rating was a great outcome for having participated in this event for the very first time.”

Both Margaux and Muriel are optimistic about next year, as the quartet will prepare a new piece and aim higher at the regional and state competitions in 2017. “Our students had a great time on the trip and bonded even more as a quartet and as friends. It was truly a worthwhile experience and they know it too,” said Margaux. “Our hope is that this achievement will motivate and inspire our younger students and their families to stick with it, and that all the time, effort, and practice invested now will lead them to this same goal and more in the years ahead.”