Four students from the Wapato School District have been selected as some of the top musical students in the State and will perform during the Washington Music Educators Association’s annual conference in February.

   Wapato Middle School students Mailee Osorio, Jaelynn Traub and Anthony Zacateco have been chosen by the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) to participate in the 2018 WMEA Junior All-State performing groups. Mailee and Jaelynn were accepted to perform with the Jr. All State Youth Choir and Anthony was chosen to perform with the Jr. All State Mixed Choir.  The Junior All State performing groups are made up of 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th grade students from across the state.  This year nearly 2000 students auditioned and only around 570 were chosen.  The Junior All State groups will meet February 17, 2018 in Yakima and rehearse together under the direction of outstanding music educators and then present a final concert that afternoon.

   In addition to the Middle School students, Wapato High School student, Rogie-Ann Villavert was selected by the WMEA to perform with the All State performing groups.  The All State groups are comprised of the outstanding high school music students from around the state.  Rogie-Ann has been selected to perform in the All State Treble Choir.   More than 2000 students auditioned for the All State groups and only about half were chosen.  Rogie-Ann will join top high school music students from around the state February 15-18, 2017 in Yakima for the WMEA annual conference.  They will rehearse and perform in concert under the direction of world renowned conductors.

   This is a very prestigious honor for these students.  Many professional musicians credit their All-State experience as crucial in their decision to choose music as a career. Well-known Washingtonians who have participated in past years’ WMEA All-State groups include The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist David Horsey, 2008 National Teacher of the Year Andrea Peterson, and jazz saxophonist Kenny G.