McKinney, Texas - Seeds planted last spring became a harvest this summer as the Faubion Middle School Honors Band and the Faubion Middle School Honors Orchestra both earned Top 10 recognition in the state TMEA competition results that were announced in July.
The band placed 7th in the 2025 TMEA State CCC Honor Band contest, and the orchestra placed 8th in the 2025 TMEA State Honor String Orchestra contest.
Faubion is the only middle school in Texas to boast two Top 10 TMEA finalists this year.
The Faubion Middle School Honors Band placed 7th in the 2025 TMEA State CCC Honor Band contest.
“McKinney ISD could not be more proud of the directors and student instrumentalists at Faubion Middle School,” said MISD Director of Fine Arts Dr. Jared Critchfield. “Having one ensemble achieve this honor is phenomenal, but having two ensembles in the same year finish in the Top 10 is virtually unheard of. Their powerhouse performances at the TMEA contests reinforce what we already knew: the standard of excellence at FMS, paired with a culture of caring and fun, is simply unmatched.”
Last spring, both ensembles entered the competition by submitting performance recordings to TMEA. Their entries were evaluated by a new panel of judges at each stage of the contest. The band, directed by Ryan Gaughan, advanced through regional, area and state semifinal rounds to qualify for the finals. The orchestra, directed by Kari Zamora, passed through two rounds of judging that encompassed the entire state to reach the finals.
“Being named one of the top 10 middle school bands in Texas, and ultimately placing 7th overall, is an extraordinary accomplishment and a reflection of our children’s talent, commitment and heart,” said Gaughan.
“This result is a celebration of our students’ hard work, support at home and the strong legacy of excellence we continue to build at Faubion. I could not be more proud to stand beside them and represent McKinney ISD at the state level.”
The Faubion Middle School Honors Orchestra place 8th in the 2025 TMEA State Honor String Orchestra contest.
For Zamora and the orchestra, 2025 marked the fourth time the program has made the TMEA finals—twice as a full orchestra and twice as a string orchestra. Zamora pointed out that the level of success seen in both Faubion’s orchestra and band programs is rare.
“Usually, schools have a really good orchestra that makes finals regularly, but their band doesn’t,” she said. “Or, they have a good band that makes finals but their orchestra doesn’t—and some schools don’t even have orchestra.”
Zamora credits last year’s invitation for the orchestra to perform at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago as crucial to the ensemble’s success in TMEA this year. “To be a serious contender in TMEA, you have to play high school level music really well,” she said. “Performing at Midwest last year, the 7th graders had to learn so quickly, and that made them stronger leaders as 8th graders this year.”
The work ethic and drive toward excellence that Gaughan and Zamora have cultivated in their band and orchestra students is reaping a bountiful harvest, with benefits that will carry far beyond the classroom.