Photo Credit: CFISDEducation
Smith MS band invited to perform at Music for All National Festival
The Smith Middle School Varsity Band was recently invited to perform at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis in 2027.
The Music for All National Festival is the nation’s premier non-competitive festival for scholastic instrumental music ensembles. Selected ensembles include high school and middle school concert bands, orchestras, percussion ensembles and chamber ensembles. Smith is one of only 14 middle school band programs from across the country selected as a 2027 invited ensemble.
“The invitation means an incredible amount to our program because it represents years of work and a vision that our students are capable of achieving at the highest levels,” said Stephen Van Hooser, Smith director of bands. “For the last three years, we’ve intentionally worked to create a culture of excellence and to give our students opportunities to share their music beyond our local community. For the first time in our school’s history, the Smith Middle School band will perform on a national stage.”
The invitation is the result of a process that began several months prior. The 2025-26 Smith Varsity Band performed a special recording concert at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center in May and the recording was submitted in June. A panel of judges listened to each submission and selected the ensembles for the 2027 festival. Van Hooser received Smith’s invitation in late July.
“I’ve told our students for years that excellence is worth pursuing, even when you don’t know where that pursuit will eventually take you,” Van Hooser said. “This is one of those moments where they get to see that hard work can create opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves.”
The first group of students Van Hooser shared the news with was current band students at Cypress Ranch High School who were either members of the 2025-26 recording ensemble or former Smith band students who were part of the program’s growth. Van Hooser believed they deserved to hear the news before anyone else.
“Our theme for the year is ‘From Achievement to Adventure’ and many of the students who performed on our recording last year have already moved on to high school, but their achievement created an opportunity for the students who came after them,” Van Hooser said. “Now, a new group of Smith students gets to take that achievement and turn it into an adventure. They’ll travel to Indianapolis, perform alongside outstanding music programs from across the country, experience a national festival, make new memories and friendships and see firsthand where their hard work can take them.”
The Smith Varsity Band will host a send-off concert on March 24, 2027, at 7 p.m. at the CFISD Visual and Performing Arts Center. The concert is open to the community.
Source: CFISD
