Eddie Healy began playing guitar at the age of 13. He attended Eastfield College before completing his Bachelor of Music in classical guitar performance at The University of North Texas. He subsequently completed a Master of Music degree at Southern Methodist University.
He is a faculty member specializing in guitar and music theory studies at Dallas College. He has also taught at the Preston Harmony School of Music since 2002. He is the director of the youth competition at the Texas Guitar Festival and Competition and serves as the Director of Education at the annual Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition.
Eddie performs regularly in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. He has also performed live on WRR-Classical 101.1. He traveled to Spain in 2008 for a series of concerts and twice to Mexico in 2009 to perform at the 19th Annual International Guitar Festival of Morelia and the 4th Festival Internacional de Guitarra Ramón Noble. He has appeared on national television and radio programs in Mexico. Healy returned to Spain in 2014 as a member of the faculty of the annual ChamberArt Madrid Festival and has done so several times since alongside his students and his duet partner, mezzo-soprano Dr. Brandi Estwick. Estwick and Healy have performed together in many venues in the DFW area, Houston, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and in Spain. The duo were featured performers and lecturers at the 2024 Romero Institute. Many of the selections they program are Healy’s own arrangements. In 2022 they founded Motivata Music, an online music tutoring service designed to help middle school, high school, and college students in the areas of guitar, music theory, ear training, music history, diction, and vocal performance.
Eddie’s original compositions have been performed all over the world. He has composed the theme to a series of podcasts produced by The University of Texas at Dallas titled “A Conversation With…”, the theme for the Arts-Based Learning for Business video series, scores for several video games produced by the UTD Arts and Technology Video Game Lab, and the alma mater for Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas. In 2012 Healy released a CD consisting exclusively of his compositions titled, Direction. James Scott of minor7th.com said that the recording, “…is a triumph, offering the listener accessible compositions matched by immaculate performances.” Healy has taken many more commissions for new compositions and arrangements in recent years. Likewise, he published the sheet music for several of the compositions from Direction with Joachim-Trekel-Musikverlag in 2010 and has 0073ixteen publications with Les Productions d’OZ to date. Eddie is a member of ASCAP.
All-State Program for the Guitar Ensemble: TBA
LMEA All-State Guitar Ensemble
There is a single live monitored audition for All-State Guitar Ensemble. All auditions will be audio recorded by the District Director or his/her designee and submitted to the All-State Guitar Chair as an mp3 file.
District directors will verify that teachers of all students participating in these auditions are current members of LMEA.
DEADLINES for 2025-26:
District Deadlines – District Directors will provide procedural information and set the deadline for receiving checks and student information from schools in their district. This deadline may be before the state’s deadline.
Saturday, October 11, 2025 – Deadline for completion of all auditions and the receipt of all student registrations and audition fees by the district director or his/her designee.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 (by 11:59 pm) – Results for the All-State Guitar Ensemble will be posted online. Registration forms for students selected to an ensemble will be opened once rosters are posted.
Students auditioning must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited high school and must be an active member of that school’s instrumental ensemble or guitar program. Click for a list of Nonpublic Accredited Approved Schools 2024-25. Students’ ensemble directors must be current full LMEA members.
In a situation where there is no guitar program in the school, the student must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited high school and certified by the eligible music teacher at that school or a private teacher who is an LMEA member.
District directors will verify that teachers of all students participating in these auditions are current members of LMEA.
Students are eligible for membership in only one All-State ensemble.
DATE and LOCATION: Each district director will schedule the date, time, and location for recording the guitar auditions in his/her district.
STUDENT RELEASE OF INFORMATION FORM – this form will need to be printed, signed, and submitted to your District Director. Follow your his/her instructions for submitting it. Auditions cannot be adjudicated without this form.
AUDITION FEE and REGISTRATION:
$15 per audition
Ensemble directors should follow their District Director’s instructions and deadline for submitting school checks and registration information.
District Directors must confirm the receipt of all audition fees and forms by the date the audition files are uploaded. An audition cannot be adjudicated if the audition fee has not been received.
All auditioner information will be submitted by the District Director or his/her designee. This includes: Name, School, Grade, Instrument or Voice, All-State Ensemble preference, T-Shirt Size, Audio audition file, Verification of receipt of the “Release of Information” Form.
All audition recordings and registration forms must be uploaded via the Google form by 11:59 pm on Monday, October 13, 2025 by the District Director or his/her designee. (Links will be sent to the District Director.)
Students auditioning for more than one ensemble must indicate their preference of ensembles when their audition registration information is submitted. This information will be used should he/she be selected to participate in more than one of this year’s LMEA All-State ensembles.
The audition includes scales and prepared selections. There will be a 4-year rotation cycle of materials.
Scales – Required scales have been written out in the current year’s “set” materials.
Prepared Selections – There is a 4-year rotation cycle of prepared materials, each set containing two selections carefully chosen to highlight different styles and tempos.
There is a single audition, recorded at the district level, for All-State Guitar Ensemble.
MONITORS and AUDITION:
All guitar ensemble auditions will be audio recorded (.mp3 file).
Each District Director will assign one or more monitors to record the audition and certify that each auditioner played the material without any restarts.
Monitors should be carefully selected by the district director to ensure procedural continuity of the audition.
An audio test of the recorder and room should be done before any auditions begin. Be sure the student will be clearly heard.
Be sure that the instrument and audition number announced on the recording are accurately entered on the track sheet.
Monitors should verify that the recording is on the recorder before the auditioner leaves the room (if possible). (This can be done by playing a few seconds of the recording and checking the length of the file on the recorder.)
Audition restarts will only be allowed if there is a technical issue with the recorder.
Each recorded audition must be unedited and made in one single file – do not dub any portion of the audition.
AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS and ORDER:
Start the recording.
Identification Information:The monitor will read the following script to announce and identify each auditioner: “On guitar,this is Audition Number (Insert Audition Number).”
Scales: The student will perform the current set’s scales as written.
Prepared Selections: The student will play the performance selections in the order listed on the current year’s Set page.
TRACK SHEET
A track sheet will be shared via Google Sheets to enter the audition information at the “room” level. This includes: Room Number, Recorder Number, File Name, File Duration, Last Name, First Name, Instrument/Voice, Audition Number.
The Room Number, Recorder Number, File Name and Audition Number are to be determined by the District Director or his/her designee.
There should be one track sheet for each room used at the audition.
RECORDING EQUIPMENT
The recommended recorder is a typical “voice recorder” like those used for adjudicators at large ensemble assessment. District Directors have received information about these recorders.
AUDITION FILE SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
Each district director (or designee) will be responsible for submitting auditioners’ information and uploading all audio audition recordings (.mp3 files only) into the Google form provided by the audition coordinator.
All student registration information and audition recordings must be submitted by Monday, October 7, 2024 (11:59 pm). District Directors will communicate to their district regarding how they want to receive student information – name, school, grade, instrument, All-State ensemble preference, t-shirt size, audio audition file, verification of receipt of the “Student Release of Information Form.”
Google Drive is one of the easiest and most accessible platforms to use for file sharing. However, some school districts restrict the sharing of files from their school google drives. Files must be accessible to the chairperson to be judged for inclusion in the group. Discussions with your school district’s IT department may be necessary to ensure usage in the All-State audition.
Audition Results: Results will be posted on this website as soon as possible once they are finalized for all ensembles. For 2024-25, results will be posted on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 (11:59 pm).
Ranking Scores: At the completion of the adjudication process, students will be ranked according to their final scores.
Tie Breaker: Any ties will be broken by the scale score. If the tie remains, it shall be broken with the toss of a coin.
INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS SELECTED TO AN ALL-STATE ENSEMBLE
LOCATION, DEADLINES, FEES (information for 2026 to be updated soon)
Location – Hilton New Orleans Riverside (all rehearsals and concerts)
Registration Fees – $165
Deadline – Saturday, November 2, 2024 by 11:59pm (All-State registration form, All-State permission form, fees, and if applicable, LMEA Academic Award form)
LMEA is working hard to provide the highest quality All-State experience. All ensembles will rehearse and perform under the leadership of a nationally-celebrated director. Evening concerts will feature Louisiana universities as well as guest artists from around the country.
The registration fee covers rehearsal and performance related expenses, music, an All-State patch, All-State t-shirt, and the LMEA Academic Award (if applicable).
All students will be served a buffet style dinner each night, which will include a fresh salad, hearty main course, two sides, dessert, and beverage. Special meal options will be provided for students with food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Students are on their own for lunch and breakfast. They may take advantage of food options within the Hilton. For lunch, students may choose to eat in the food court of the Riverwalk Outlet, which adjoins the Hilton Riverside. Multiple fast-food options are available and lunch breaks will be staggered to help alleviate crowds.
DONATIONS Links to information and ways to help support Louisiana’s talented LMEA All-State students can be found below. Join us as we celebrate their hard work and dedication, and this prestigious achievement.
Donation Letter – A downloadable Word doc with suggested modifications that teachers can customize to fit each student’s situation
FAQ Sheet– Detailed information on how to support Louisiana’s talented young musicians cover their All-State expenses (registration and evening meals only) by donating to students through LMEA’s portal
Donation Form/LMEA Portal – To donate to a specific student(s), school(s), or All-State ensemble events
SCHEDULE
Onsite check-in and the first rehearsal will be on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
The concert will be on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
MUSIC: All-State Guitar Ensemble music will be distributed to the selected musicians by their LMEA District Director, their LMEA District’s Guitar Chair, or through their director.
REGISTRATION FORMS
Student Forms – Important registration information, required forms, and optional forms.
Academic Award Form (OPTIONAL) – A student who has a verified cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher must upload the verified academic award form when completing the online All-State Student Registration Form. (Only 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are eligible for this award.) The deadline is the same as the “registration due” deadline.
HOTEL INFORMATION: (Information can also be found under the Conference tab in the menu.)
All-State Rules and Regulations are part of the All-State School and Emergency Permission Form and are to be signed by each student, parent, director and principal involved.
Rules and Regulations for LMEA All-State:
Teachers are required to screen students who are discipline problems and not allow them to audition.
Students are expected to follow their school’s rules while at LMEA All-State.
Students must be present and on time for registration, all rehearsals, and any other scheduled All-State events.
Students failing to adhere to their LMEA All-State schedule or the rules and regulations are subject to dismissal.
Students are responsible for their personal equipment and instruments, including any school instruments or other items checked out to them. LMEA will not assume responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen equipment or instruments.
Any student who participates in any type of vandalism will be subject to immediate dismissal. The student and the school will be held responsible for damages.
Any student in possession of prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription, any illegal drugs or other illegal substances, including alcoholic beverages, or who consumes any of these will be subject to immediate dismissal. The parent, director, and administrator will be notified.
Students’ teachers are required to be current LMEA members and to register for and be present at the All-State event and Professional Development Conference to ensure students are supervised/chaperoned when not in rehearsals or another scheduled All-State activity.
Parents or a designated chaperone are responsible for students when they are not in a rehearsal or at an LMEA sponsored event.
Consequences and procedures related to the violation of any rules:
The student’s principal, director and parents will be immediately notified of any rule violation.
A disciplinary committee consisting of the Executive Director, the LMEA President, and the Band, Orchestra, Vocal, Guitar, Handbell, or Jazz Ensemble Chairperson (as pertinent) shall review any disciplinary problems before dismissal from the All-State group is recommended.
Any student dismissed (sent home) from an All-State event will be prohibited from participating in any LMEA event for one (1) full year starting from the time of the dismissal.
Any school organization whose student (or students) must be dismissed from an LMEA All-State event will be placed on a one-year probation. If a student is dismissed within the probation period, that school organization will be prohibited from participating in LMEA All-State events the following year.
Any infraction and subsequent dismissal will be referred to the LMEA Executive Board for resolution and clarification.
If you have a question that the district director cannot answer, please email Dr. Greg Robin, LMEA Guitar Committee Chair, at [email protected].
2026 ALL-STATE GUITAR CLINICIAN: Eddie Healy
DONATIONS