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Information for Incoming Freshmen or New Students What groups make up the Los Alamitos High School Entertainment Unit? The Entertainment Unit is an award-winning group that consists of wind players (brass and woodwind), percussionists (front ensemble and marching percussion) and a color guard (flags, rifles, sabers, props and dancers). During the 2nd semester (spring), the wind players turn into two concert bands, the percussionists compete separately as a marching indoor percussion ensemble, and the color guard competes separately as a winter guard. When are summer camps? What is the fall schedule? We publish our rehearsal and activity schedule months in advance. This allows students and parents to plan vacations, doctor’s appointments, SAT’s, etc. You can find our summer and fall schedule on the Event Calendar Page. All camps, rehearsals and performances are mandatory. If you have already planned a vacation, not knowing our schedule would be, please contact us ASAP. It is very important that all students are at all events. It is an incredible feat to coordinate 120 members of the Entertainment Unit, so we need full attendance. What are the sectionals during the summer? Are they mandatory? There will be sectionals once or twice a week for most sections of the marching band. It is expected that students attend if they are in town and not on vacation. Learning music requires lots of repetition and lots of consistency. The more we work at consistently building habits in the beginning, the more successful we are at the end. What classes do I enroll in? Wind players enroll in “Beg/Int Band,” or “Adv Band” (see Courses Page to determine the appropriate course) Percussionists enroll in “Percussion” Color Guard enroll in “Color Guard” *Each class has an option to receive Physical Education (PE) credit rather than fine art credit; Please see counselor to choose the appropriate course to fulfill Graduation requirements* Can my student be part of band/color guard and still participate in sports or other activities? The short answer is yes. There are some activities that require more time commitment than others. Our goal at Los Alamitos HS is for students to be active in student life and activities. We have many students in the music program that are varsity athletes, officers of clubs, AP students, and involved in activities. The main thing to keep in mind is in communication. If you have a question in regards to a specific activity/sport, please talk to your counselor for more details. My student wants to take AP classes; can they still handle the commitment of band? Once again, the answer is yes. If your student is organized and has the determination to take AP classes, they are more than likely able to handle band as well. The majority of band students are Honors & AP students. So yes, students can handle AP classes and band. It will make them more organized and more disciplined students. It will also make them more desirable to colleges, because not only are they taking AP classes, but they have shown a commitment to a team activity and a performing art. My student is a freshman and I’m not sure if they can handle the new experience of high school and the commitment of band. Honestly, band will help them get acquainted with high school. It will give them great friends in all classes and give them a second home to feel comfortable in. Also, a student’s freshman year is, academically, their easiest. So it would be the ideal time to let the student explore what high school life has to offer and get the amazing experience that we can provide through being a part of the entertainment unit. I am unsure if I am able to meet the required fair share. What do I do? In today’s day and age, a single music director cannot meet the needs and demands of running and instructing a high-quality, competitive high school music program. We bring in the best the activity has to offer in order to give the kids a great experience and a high quality musical education. We offer many fundraisers to help you raise your part of the fair share. There are some that even cost you no money and little effort (SCRIP). Many students are even able to complete 4 years of our program and never pay a dime in fair share costs. So I encourage you to take advantage of fundraising opportunities. If you are still in financial need, please contact the booster board President, Constance Black (constie@roadrunner.com) or the Treasurer, Byron Whitten (byron0423@aol.com), so we can try and find a solution so your student can participate in music and get this great experience. I just moved into the neighborhood or have not yet received any information. Who do I contact? E-mail Mr. Sebastian, Marching Band Director (rsebastian@losal.org), or Christi Hensch, Booster Board Secretary (Christi.Hensch@amo.Abbott.com) OR Just complete the following form, and we will be in contact shortly.
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