A Martin Middle School student will be heading to southern Alabama in April to play with some of the state’s best young musicians.

Kenneth Davis, an eighth grade tuba player at Martin Middle School, was named to the 2012 Alabama All-State Band.

To make the all-state band Davis was required to go through an extensive audition process.

Davis said he was initially doing the audition so he would know what could expect when trying to make the all-state band in future attempts, but was surprised we he was ultimately selected.

“I was kind of surprised because I wasn’t going there to make it anyway,” Davis said. “We were just trying to prepare me to be able to go eventually, and I ended up making it. I was excited to be able to make it.”