8th grade musicians coming to San Juan Hills High School:

Courses Offered In Instrumental Music

Concert Band - Concert Band is the core band at SJHHS. We perform a variety of literature at concerts and festivals throughout the year and develop musicianship at the highest level. This course is open to wind and percussion students of all levels. No audition is required

Wind Ensemble - Wind Ensemble is the advanced band. It is open by audition only. Wind Ensemble combines with our Chamber Orchestra to create our Symphony Orchestra.

String Ensemble - String Ensemble is the core string class at SJHHS. We perform a variety of literature at concerts and festivals throughout the year and develop musicianship at the highest level. This course is open to all string students of all levels. No audition is required

Sinfonia Orchestra - Sinfonia Orchestra is the intermediate string orchestra. It is open by audition only.

Chamber Orchestra - Chamber Orchestra is the advanced string orchestra. It is open by audition only. Chamber orchestra combines with our Wind Ensemble to create our Symphony Orchestra.

Marching Band - This band performs pep tunes at football band basketball games during the Fall semester, and performs a halftime show. Students receive PE credit for being a part of this group. There are no auditions, and many orchestra members or new musicians learn a new instrument in this group.

Drumline - Drumline meets with the marching band during the fall, and continues to work on percussion-only literature in the Spring. Drumline receives PE credit for the fall semester, and they perform percussion literature at concerts in the Spring.

Pit Orchestra - Students have the opportunity to audition for the pit orchestra for the Spring Musical. This class meets in the evenings during 2nd semester, and is a unique experience that is special to SJHHS because of our orchestra pit in our theater

What’s The Right Classes For Me?

Basic classes:

You will only see 3 options for music signups from middle school - the string orchestra (for string students), the concert band (for winds and percussion, and marching band (for all). The string orchesta and concert band are the basic UC A-G ensembles for all instruments. Most of the concert band students and many of our orchestra students also sign up for Marching Band. In fact, most of our drumline comes from the orchestra, and we have had many string players learn trombone, flute, etc. If you sign up for marching band, you must also be in a concert band or string orchestra. Marching Band is your PE class, so you do not select PE on your schedule (though you may also do a sport if you wish). You do not need to audition for any of these courses. These are entry level classes. If you want to switch instruments or if a friend wants to learn an instrument who can’t paly one already, they can do so in these classes. These classes ‘feel’ a lot like your middle school experience and does not take much more time after school/evenings than you did in middle school. Even if you plan on auditioning for an advanced music class, these are the classes to sign up for. After auditions (read below), I will switch you into the correct course, but you must START with concert band or string orchestra on your schedule.

Advanced classes:

You may audition for an advanced group. We have 2 levels of bands and 3 levels of strings. Typically, students do not play in the advanced groups until their junior year, but some freshmen who have been taking private lessons in an instrument that we need can sometimes audition into these groups. This year we are playing William Tell Overture, Tchikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Reussian Easter Overture, and much more. Talk to your teacher/private instructor to see if you are ready for that caliber of music. Strings may also want to consider auditioning for our intermediate group. If you are playing at an advanced level, but may not be ready for the top group, your audition will be considered for our Sinfonia orchestra. If you are interested in auditioning, please click the button above for audition instructions and how to submit your video. Those who will be considered for the top groups will be asked to come in and sight-read. Auditions are due on April 25th. Remember, you do NOT need to audition to be in concert band, marching band, or string ensemble. You do need to audition to be in the wind ensemble or the advanced/intermediate string groups.

Marching Band:

The marching band is an extremely fun experience for all students of all ability levels. You receive PE credit for doing the marching band. Also, many orchestra students learn a new instrument (winds or percussion) to be a part of this group. It meets 1st semester only. We meet T/TH 6-9PM. We do this so you can still take 6 or 7 classes in the regular school day and/or participate in a sport that meets after school and still do the marching band. We are also unique because we do not compete. We learn a show, just like all other marching bands, but we only perform for 5 Friday night home football games. There are no Saturday commitments, and our donation requests are much smaller than typical schools. Marching band was designed like this so we can offer a rewarding marching experience while still balancing academics, sports, other musical activities (like full orchestra concerts year-round and multiple musicals). This schedule allows all students in all situations to be able to fit marching band into their schedule. Music students see this as a cornerstone activity, and we expect all band members (and encourage all string players) to be a part of this experience.

Conflicts With Other Activities:

All of our concert groups (concert band, wind ensemble, all 3 string orchestras) meet during the bell schedule. Most groups ask for around 4-5 evenings per year for concerts/festivals (a few more for the advanced groups). The courses were designed for all students to experience music while still being able to do sports and other activities. The Marching Band meets Tuesdays 6-8PM and Thursdays 6-9PM and performs at approximately 5 home football games on Fridays. The season ends late October/November. It meets in the evenings to avoid many after school conflicts with sports. We have several students do the marching band and sports. Because it meets in the evening, it counts as a 7th period. Since students get their PE credit outside of the ‘normal’ school day, it frees up a period for students to take their concert band/orchestra elective without having to take 0 period or summer school (though some students still opt to do so to have a ‘free’ period or take multiple electives. Students have varying circumstances, but there’s always a way to fit music in. Please email Mr. McElroy if you need help navigating conflicts - either after school or in your class schedule.

Summer Rehearsals:

We will have informal meetings in July and August once per week for all wind/percussion members whether or not they are in marching band (exact day/time TBA in May). If you are on vacation – no big deal. For the marching band, we will begin learning the show the week before school starts in the evenings. Please book 5-9PM the week before school starts. This is extremely important, and we ask that you book vacations/other activities around this week.

Drumline:

Anyone can join drumline, but you need to audition to play a battery (marching) instrument. Make sure you are on the Google Form listed above, and you will receive the pertinent information as it becomes available. All students can be part of our pit. The pit is the non-marching percussion that performs in front of the band. This includes regular concert percussion like Bass Drum, Gong, Xylophone, etc. as well as electronics like piano, guitar, and bass. Yes, you get PE credit for this.

I play piano/guitar. What do I do?

You have a few options. These are generally solo instruments, and we do not have a class specifically designed for these instruments. We do have a commercial music class, and you can speak with Mr. Ushino about these opportunities – miushino@capousd.org. However, we do have piano and guitar players in our bands/orchestras who play a different instrument. We also use these instruments in our marching band. There are also piano, guitar, and opportunities in our musicals. If you do not play another instrument, my recommendation is to learn a new instrument in concert band or string ensemble, or join the choir (again, see Mr. Ushino). Please remember, we use pianos and guitars in marching band (PE credit).

Do I need to take summer school?

Maybe. A lot depends on what else you are doing. If you are taking a regular Freshman class load with marching band (to take PE out of the 0-6 period school day), you can do all of this without taking summer school or a 0 period. If you are wanting to add additional classes, or if you have trouble fitting things into your schedule, please see your middle school academic advisor about taking health over the summer. I’m happy to speak with you about your class schedule and help you navigate through the process. It all fits, but sometimes you need to be creative if you are doing a lot.