Houston Symphony Features Stovall Middle School Students Engaging in Music

The Houston Symphony recently unveiled a captivating video spotlighting the Stovall Middle School band. The video revolves around the distinctive Middle School Concert, a one-of-a-kind event for area middle school band students, including those from the Aldine ISD campus. The students were treated to this exceptional concert late this past spring at the prestigious Jones Hall in downtown Houston.

Gonzalo Farias, assistant conductor with the Houston Symphony, pauses from conducting to speak with students at the Middle School Concert.

In a video by the Houston Symphony, Stovall Middle School students and school band directors are featured talking about the Middle School Concert and Community-Embedded Musicians experience. Click on the video link below to hear from students Norman Bolaños and Scarlet Díaz, along with John Ware, band director at Stovall Middle School, and assistant band director Erwin Vreugdenhil. Also featured is Gonzalo Farias, assistant conductor with the Houston Symphony, who can also be seen performing and speaking with the students and talking about the importance of music education and exposure to the arts.

Click HERE to watch the video.

David Conner, a double-bass player with the Houston Symphony and a community-embedded musician (at the front of the class), visits the Stovall Middle School band students.

“Our band students had an ‘experience of a lifetime’ that they will never forget,” said Ware. “We are deeply grateful to Aldine leaders and our community for their strong support of the performing arts and the Houston Symphony for providing this incredible opportunity. Such opportunities inspire our students in their musical journey.”

Before and after the Middle School Concert, students had the privilege of hearing, performing, and improvising with symphony members at Stovall Middle School in “a wonderful, interactive experience,” stated John Ware, band director at Stovall Middle School. This hands-on approach to learning kept the students fully engaged and excited about music. The initiative formed part of the Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement. David Conner, a double-bass player with the Houston Symphony and a community-embedded musician, visited the campus in the spring with band students.

The Stovall MS band group (at the forefront) applauds the Houston Symphony performance at the Hobby Center.