The Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) is a musical organization dedicated to promoting the interests of small school bands in the state of Texas. The focus of ATSSB is on serving the needs of small school band students, directors, parents, and administrators. ATSSB was created in 1991. ATSSB Membership is open to any band director and/or assistant director, those high schools which the University Interscholastic League classifies as class 4A(AAAA) and below (beginning in 2014-15) or middle school that feeds a 4A or smaller high school or a private middle school, with classifications determined by enrollment. The school must be accredited by the Texas Education Agency or an accrediting agency approved by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. The Association of Texas Small School Bands is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Although the ATSSB was formed out of frustration with the Texas Music Educators Association (believing it, and especially its All-State Band, to be dominated by the larger AAAA and AAAAA schools), the two organizations regularly work together, (alongside with the Texas Bandmasters Organization), to promote music education in Texas. ATSSB meets twice each year in General Session - once in February and once in July. In addition, the ATSSB All-State Bands rehearse and perform in San Antonio in February. Each year, ATSSB hosts an audition process to select two high school all-state bands and a jazz band. History At a Texas Music Educators Association Executive Board meeting in 1981, Region 2 Chairman Lonnie Dooley made a request for a feasibility study to consider designating one of the existing All-State bands for 4A and down students only. This request was based on information that although half of the students in Texas attended schools class 4A and down, less than twelve percent of the students in the All-State Bands were from those classifications. Less than three percent were from 3A schools and down. The proposal was defeated by a vote of 55 to 6 to make the study. Lonnie asked what had to be done to get the issue before the general membership and TMEA President Bill Woods responded by naming a committee to study the proposal. The committee returned a negative report and after some discussion, the measure failed. After 1981, the number of small school bandsmen in the All-State Band continued to decline as the quality and quantity of private lesson programs in 4A and 5A schools increased,