On June 26, 2013, The Forney High School Wind Ensemble achieved the single highest honor the FHS concert group has ever earned by being awarded first place at the Area C Texas Music Educators Association honor band session at Highland Park High School. By so doing, the ensemble became one of only 14 bands in Texas to advance to compete at the State Honor Band level held in San Antonio on June 30, 2013.
The top seven bands of the fourteen judged at the State Honor Band Level are then awarded the honor of State Honor Band Finalists. The FHS Wind Ensemble placed fifth in the state competition making them the first group to be a State Honor Band Finalist in FHS history.
The Ensemble endured a long process in order to reach this point. Multiple recordings were first made at various local area performance halls including the Myerson Symphony Center. The best recordings were then compiled to a CD and presented, along with about 250 other 4A bands, to the UIL office. The ensemble also had to win the Regional level competition in Richardson to move forward.
These competitions were the culmination of a long year for the participants filled with hours of dedicated practice and many other competitions that led to this honor. Previously in the year, both the FHS Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic band earned a Sweepstakes trophy at the UIL Concert & Sight Reading contest. Both bands received first division ratings at the University of North Texas Peak Festival and the Wind Ensemble earned Most Outstanding ensemble of the day.
The FHS band later traveled to Florida to take part in the Disney Performing Arts workshops where students experienced a studio setting and made a soundtrack at Disney Studios with a Disney composer and conductor. The color guard also got to take part in a workshop with Disney’s auxiliary group.
In the end of May, the FHS Wind Ensemble performed at the Dallas Wind Symphony festival and captured fifth place out of the finest thirty-two bands in the area and the state with woodwinds ranking second overall and percussion ranking third overall.
Several students also received outstanding soloist awards, including: Carmen Chavez (flute); Claire Collins (oboe); Mylan Lough (bassoon); Sam Litton (euphonium); and Tyler Thompson (percussion). Three students received an award for best of the two day festival (1 percussion, 1 brass, and 1 woodwind). Tyler Thompson was selected as the "Most Outstanding Percussionist" at the entire contest for performing a marimba solo considered in the field to be the hardest and almost impossible part of all wind band literature.
Directors for the Forney High School band program are Mark Poole, Mario Luna, and Christopher Adler.