Sallisaw band member participates in National FFA Band

Abigail Thomason, a member of the Sallisaw FFA chapter, performed on stage and in the spotlight Nov. 1-4 during the 2023 National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.

Thomason, a senior at Sallisaw High School and the daughter of Kendall and Nicki Thomason, was selected to play french horn in the National FFA Band.

She submitted an audition tape and was selected to help bring full instrumental balance to the band from a pool of applicants nationwide.

Thomason is a 5-year member of the Sallisaw FFA Chapter and a 7-year member of the Sallisaw Band Program. She currently serves as the Sallisaw FFA Chapter President and the SHS Band’s High Brass section leader. She credits the opportunity to participate in this national honor band to her past and present FFA Advisors, Roger Stites and Stephen Matthews, and her band directors, Geoff Webb and Casey Weaver.

Thomason joined 84 other band members in Indianapolis for rehearsals three days before the convention and expo began. The National FFA Band performed several times during the national convention and expo, including in front of two sold out sessions of over 35,000 people.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 945,000 student members as part of 9,163 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.