Frequently Asked Questions

Except for All-State Small School Band, Two-Year College Choir, and Community College Band & Jazz concerts (which have no tickets), those with All-State Concert Tickets or a blue paid convention badge enter the Priority Line and access the venue first. For concerts in Lila Cockrell Theatre and Stars at Night Ballroom, attendees may line up no earlier than 1.5 hours before the concert start. Ten minutes prior to the beginning of a concert, if seating is available, admission is open to all.

Note: Family badges do not grant access to the priority ticket line.

You may line up no earlier than 1.5 hours before concert start time.

Band & Orchestra lines start in the hall between the Lila Cockrell Theatre and the North Lobby on the street level.

Choir lines start in Hemisfair Ballroom 3 on the third floor.

Percussion, Jazz, Mariachi have no lines. Go directly to the concert venue in Hemisfair Ballroom 1-2 on the third floor.

The Community College All-State Wind Symphony concert will be held in Room 217; proceed directly to the concert venue.

Navigate the convention schedule and plan your experience. Here's a guide to schedules and creating your personal schedule in the app:

Schedule Views

• Full Schedule: Browse all clinics, performances, and events in one convenient view. Events display their relevant Tracks, with a colored circle preceding the Track name.
• Performances: View all concerts and music showcases in one place by tapping this icon.
• All-State Schedule: Explore All-State Ensembles and their full rehearsal and concert schedules. Filter by All-State group to see only their schedule.
• Tracks: Select any track to see a filtered schedule view of events applicable to that track.
• Filtering a Schedule: Use the filter option to narrow events by Event Type, Location, or Track.

Creating My Schedule

• Adding Events to My Schedule: Tap the bookmark icon on any event to add it to My Schedule. To access My Schedule, go to your app Profile page.
• Exporting My Schedule: From My Schedule, tap the download icon to export your schedule to your calendar or to a PDF.
• Accessing the App on Multiple Devices: Simply sign in using the same email address to view your saved data on different devices (schedule, bookmarks, etc.).

From the home page, you will find access to an app Help Desk, which includes videos and other helpful materials to guide your use. The TMEA Clinic/Convention App is provided by Swapcard. To contact their app support, go to your profile to find a link to Contact app support. Some questions are answered via an AI chatbot and if the answers aren't available, your question will be passed onto a representative.

Alternatively, go to the TMEA Help Desk in Registration during Registration Hours for assistance.

Events display colored dots next to their relevant Track Name for quick identification while browsing the schedule. The colors correspond to the following tracks:

🔴 Band

🟣 Orchestra

🟢 Vocal

🔵 Elementary

🟠 College

🟡 General Membership

🟤 Technology

🎓 TFME

Track schedules can be quickly accessed from the home screen, below the buttons, or by filtering a schedule.

You must pick up your own badge (or register, if you did not before arriving). If you prepurchased family badges, get them where you obtain your badge. Otherwise, go with your family member to the Visitors Booth and purchase once you have obtained your own.

Entrance is from the Convention Center North Lobby near the doors by Market Street. Go through the Prepaid line if you paid your registration or through the Registration line if you need to complete that onsite.

• Wednesday: 1–9 pm
• Thursday: 7:30 am–5 pm
• Friday: 7:30 am–6 pm
• Saturday: 7:30 am–1 pm

If attending separate Wednesday events, go directly to their locations on the second floor of the convention center. You do not need your TMEA badge. TMAA Workshops (CC 215 and CC 217), TJEA Jazz Symposium (CC 206), Technology Preconference (CC 214).

Read about San Antonio's biking resources and see a map of downtown bike parking.

San Antonio Bike Resources

Audio files become available on the TMEA website approximately 2 weeks after the convention for those who purchased access. To purchase this access, log into your TMEA record online before April 1 and add recordings for only $20. After the convention, go to www.tmea.org/convention to log in and access those files.

In February, handouts submitted by the deadline will be available for download from the event details page. On an event's details page, scroll down below the Speakers list. If handouts are available, they will be in a Documents & Links section. Tap to download and choose where to save the file (e.g., GoogleDrive, files, forward to email). Only handouts submitted by clinicians to TMEA by the deadline are available for download.

A coat/bag check (with a per-item fee) will be located in the North Lobby near TMEA Registration.

• Wednesday: Noon–10 pm
• Thursday: 8 am–8 pm
• Friday: 8 am–8 pm
• Saturday: 8 am–10 pm

No personal recordings are allowed during any concert. Professional recordings of most concerts are available and can be purchased at the Mark Custom Recordings exhibit booth or www.markcustom.com after the convention. Please respect the experience of all attendees by silencing and putting away all devices and cameras during the musical performance.

CPE credit is available only to those who attend the convention and are current TMEA Active members, Honorary Life members, or out-of-state registrants. Go to www.tmea.org/cpe to create your record, available within two weeks after the convention.

If you need information related to your TMEA Division, visit their office.

• Band: CC 208
• Orchestra: CC 223
• Vocal: CC 303 C
• Elementary: Grand Hyatt Republic A (4th Fl)
• College: CC 208

Exhibit hall entry requires a convention badge (except for College Night).

• Thursday: 9 am–5 pm
• Friday: 9 am–6 pm (College Night, 5–8 pm)
• Saturday: 9 am–1 pm

Family members of registered attendees may attend for $15 each, as long as they are not also music educators, musicians, or college music students (for children 11 and under, family badges are free and available if the child is present at registration).

Note: Family badges do not grant access to the priority ticket line for All-State concerts.

Prepurchased Pickup:

• If you purchased family badges in advance, get them where you obtain your badge (your printed badge will indicate the number you prepurchased at the bottom right).

Onsite Purchase:

• If you are paying registration onsite and your family member is with you, you can purchase the badge at that time.
• In all other cases, go to the Visitors Booth to purchase (the TMEA member must have their badge and the family member must be present).

Performer Family:

• Available onsite only—Family members of performing group members can attend their group’s concert without a badge. Entrance to the Exhibit Hall does, however, require the purchase of a Family badge, available at the Visitor registration booth for $15 each (FREE for All-State student family members and children 11 and under if the child is present at registration).

First Aid is located in the North Lobby under the north escalator (near the Convention Registration entrance). On Saturday, an additional First Aid station will be near West Registration in room CC 1109.

• Wednesday: 8:00 am–10:00 pm
• Thursday: 7:30 am–9:30 pm
• Friday: 7:30 am–10:00 pm
• Saturday: 7:30 am–8:30 pm (North Lobby)
• Saturday: 9:00 am–10:00 pm (West Registration)

Options & Pricing: All Cafés & Grab & Go stations offer similar options and pricing for premade deli sandwiches, salads, snacks, drinks. Two locations offer hot food items. A single full deli sandwich, salad, or hot item costs $10–$12. Exhibit hall locations are open only during exhibit hall hours. Otherwise, most locations listed below will be open Wednesday–Saturday (morning through evening). Access maps in the app to find the listed locations.

Street Level Cafés

• Market Café in the North Lobby (offers hot items)
• El Puente Café/Coffee station near the West Lobby, just beyond Lila Cockrell Theatre
• Broken Crust Pizza in the hallway between Lila Cockrell Theatre & North Lobby (unique salad/pizza menu)
• Café in the back of Exhibit Hall 2 (offers hot items)

Grab & Go Stations

• Street Level:
  • Hallway near the North Lobby from Lila Cockrell Theatre
  • Inside the Exhibit Hall near the North Lobby entrance
  • Inside the Exhibit Hall near the entrance by Bridge Hall
• Second Floor: Park View Lobby (near CC 214)
• Third Floor: Near CC 303

The Information Booth is located in the Registration Area during registration hours. When you walk in from the North Lobby, the Information Booth is in the back of the hall. Find answers to questions, Lost & Found items, and, on Saturday, the winners of cash drawings.

Local establishments offer varying discounts when you show your official TMEA convention badge.

For Lost & Found, go to the Information Booth during Convention Registration hours. When you walk in from the North Lobby, the Information Booth is in the back of the hall. After 1 pm on Saturday, go to the North Lobby Info Desk or email membership@tmea.org after the convention.

Two private Nursing Mother's Rooms are available in the convention center: in room 1212 (accessible from the hallway between the North Lobby and Lila Cockrell) and in Room 2137 (next to CC 215 on 2nd floor south).

Thursday–Saturday, $15 daily parking (cards only) is offered at the Alamodome (on Cherry Street) for entry before 5 pm. The lot will be open beyond this time; however, the city may impose higher parking fees because of other events. For information on the free shuttle, review the Shuttle FAQ below.

Directions to Convention Center and other parking locations

By attending the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention, you consent to being photographed, filmed, and/or recorded. These materials may be used by TMEA for promotional or informational purposes, across various media including web and social media. Your presence implies a waiver of any rights to payment, inspection, or approval of these uses and releases TMEA and its representatives from any related liability.

This free concert by the U.S. Army Band is Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Lila Cockrell Theatre. There are no tickets for this open-seating event. Doors open at 7 pm.

With the exception of service animals (as defined by the ADA), no animals are allowed in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

For clarification or additional questions, contact Delia Garcia with the San Antonio Convention Center, Delia.garcia@sanantonio.gov.

Free shuttle service between Alamodome Parking Lot B and Convention Center North Lobby:

• Thursday: 7:30 am–10 pm
• Friday: 7:30 am–10 pm
• Saturday: 7:30 am–10 pm

Three shuttle buses will be in service (one will be wheelchair accessible).

This Wednesday-only technology preconference requires a separate registration. Do not go to TMEA Registration for this. Go directly to CC 214 to pick up that badge starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. If you didn't preregister, you can pay $50 onsite outside CC 214 for this (no purchase orders).

On Thursday and Friday during the convention, eligible TMEA members will vote electronically for President-Elect and Division Vice-Presidents (rotating each year) for offices with more than one nominee. Members do not need to be present at the convention to vote. Visit the election webpage for candidates, eligibility, and voting information.

If you need assistance with your ballot and are at the convention, visit the TMEA Help Desk inside Convention Registration during open hours, or email membership@tmea.org before 5 p.m. Friday.

You can rent in advance with Tom's Wheelchair & Scooter Rentals by calling 210-223-7878 or visiting their website. Mention that you are renting for the TMEA convention for a 10% discount. Rentals are located in the North lobby near TMEA Registration.