Keeping on Beat: March 2026

March has been an exciting start to festival season for our music program. Our Concert Band, Golden Eagle Band, and Wind Symphony performed at the SMUSD Festival at Mission Hills High School and represented SEMS beautifully. The students sounded fantastic and showed the results of all their hard work.

Earlier this month, our 78 Honor Band also represented SEMS incredibly well. Not only did they perform beautifully, but their behavior and professionalism made us very proud.

Our 6th grade band students also visited our elementary feeder schools, sharing music and helping inspire the next generation of SEMS musicians. It was a huge success and such a fun experience for everyone involved.

We also had a great turnout at our Tin Leaf dine-out fundraiser, even with the rainy weather. Our Gig Jazz members performed during the evening and did a wonderful job representing our program while families enjoyed dinner and supported the band.

Thank you to all the families who continue to support our students and music program. We are looking forward to a fun month ahead with our upcoming 6th Grade Coffee Concerts, where students will have the chance to share what they’ve been learning this year.

• Wednesday March 4: Booster Meeting 6pm in SEMS PAC

• Thursday March 5: CB and GEB to SCSBOA Festival @ El Camino HS

• Friday March 6: Winds to CSU Fullerton Festival

• Wednesday March 11: All Jazz Bands to Double Peak Jazz Festival

• Friday March 13: Beginning Band Coffee Concerts Per 2, 5 & 7

• Saturday March 14: GEB and Winds to SD Winds Composer Festival with Richard Saucedo @ MHHS

• Tuesday March 17: SMHS Wind Symphony to SEMS all day

• Thursday March 19: GE Choir to SCVA Festival @ Ladera Ranch Middle School

• Saturday March 21: House, Cafe and Gig to Pt. Loma Nazarene University Jazz Festival

• Tuesday March 24: Jazz to play at Incoming 6th Grade Night (Gig & Cafe)

• March 30: SPRING BREAK!!

Our beginning band students will take part in one of our favorite SEMS traditions, the Coffee Concerts, on Friday, March 13. Families will be able to sit close to their student during the performance and then enjoy donuts and coffee together afterward (coffee for adults).

We would love some extra help to make this event run smoothly. If you are available, please consider signing up to volunteer. Coffee Concert Volunteer Sign Up

Our advanced ensembles (Concert Band, Golden Eagle Band, Wind Symphony, and Golden Eagle Choir) will be participating in the Forum Music Festival followed by a day at SeaWorld. This is a fun opportunity for students to perform, receive feedback from judges, and celebrate their hard work together.

This trip is optional and does not affect a student’s grade if they are unable to attend.

Families can now begin making payments for the trip. If your student plans to attend, please visit the payment link here: https://semsbandandchoir.square.site/trips

We are looking forward to a great performance experience for our students!

As we look ahead to our end-of-year concerts, families have the opportunity to purchase an ad space in the spring concert program to celebrate their musician while supporting the SEMS music program. Many families like to include a photo and a short congratulatory message for their student.

Ad options include a full-page Gold Ad ($100), half-page Silver Ad ($50), quarter-page Brass Ad ($35), or a short “Noteworthy” message ($20). All ads will appear in the printed concert program for our May performances.

Print-ready ad artwork (PNG or JPG) and payment are due Sunday, April 26. Ads can be purchased online at bit.ly/sems-fundraisers, or families may pay by check to SEMS Band Boosters.

This is a fun way to recognize your student’s hard work this year while helping support our music program. After you purchase your ad, please send your note or ad to semsbandmediamaster@gmail.com.

As we begin planning for next year, we wanted to share that several Band Booster positions will be opening as our amazing 8th grade families move on. Our program truly runs because of parent support, and we will be needing new volunteers to step into these roles to help keep everything running smoothly.

These positions are very manageable, and current board members are happy to provide support and guidance during the transition. If you are interested in learning more or would like to help in any capacity, please reach out. We would love to talk with you!

We will need:

President

1 Jazz Coordinator

Parent Volunteer Coordinator

Student Activities Coordinator

Fundraising Coordinator

Thank you for being such a supportive music community!

• April 9: April Boosters Meeting @ SEMS PAC
• April 9: SMUSD Choir Festival @ San Marcos High School
• April 14: SMUSD Honor Choir Concert @ CCAE
• April 15: Solo & Ensemble Recital @ SEMS
• April 18: All Advanced Bands and Choir to Forum Festival @ Sea World
• April 22: Jazz Band @ Pizza Nova fundraiser
• April 25: Gig Jazz to Poway Jazz Festival @ Poway High School
• April 28: Choir Singing National Anthem @ Petco Park
• April 30: Wind Symphony & Beginning Band students Open Rehearsal with San Diego Symphony

Starting December 1st, all field trip chaperones must be Level A. This is a District-wide policy which I have provided below.

New SMUSD Policy

Because volunteers who are chaperoning field trips have unsupervised contact with students, effective December 1, any volunteer interested in chaperoning a field trip must have Level A Clearance.

SMUSD is continuing to cover the cost of the LiveScan process for Level A volunteers. Additionally, to make LiveScan appointments more accessible, SMUSD has finalized a contract with three Postal Annex locations. These sites will now offer LiveScan services to volunteers on a walk-in basis, with evening and weekend hours available. Please see the flyer below.

All new Level A volunteer applicants will receive an email with the details of the three participating Postal Annex locations, including their addresses and operating hours.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Level B volunteers will be allowed through November. If you plan to volunteer for a field trip after Thanksgiving, please start this process by applying for Level A now. Here is the District website with the link- https://www.smusd.org/144243_3

Looking for an easy way to make a difference? Our directors have created an Amazon Wish List filled with items that directly benefit our students in band and choir. Every donation helps provide the tools and supplies needed to keep our music program strong and thriving.

Click here to view the list and support: Amazon Wish List

Thank you for helping us create more opportunities for our young musicians!

February 2026

January 2026

December 2025

November 2025
October 2025
September 2025

The Music Boosters are a nonprofit that supports the San Elijo Middle School Band and Choir programs. We help fund, organize, and support our 400+ student musicians in class and at events.

Booster meetings are held monthly in the SEMS PAC — all are welcome! Check the calendar for dates. Please click here to read our Organizational Bylaws.

President(s): Sally Schifman & Laura Dassrath

Treasurer: Ashley Cornes

Assistant Treasurer: Indira Lemonds

Secretary: Janna Massoth

Fundraising Coordinator: Katie Stapko

Hospitality Coordinator: Stephanie Bussen & Tony Bussen

Media Master(s): Chelsea Lewis & Quyen Nicol

Volunteer Coordinator: Wendy Garafalo

Student Activities Coordinator: Rachel Boyle

Jazz Coordinator(s): Erene Mina & Deanna Petrochilos

Boosters At Large: Katie Marroquin, Christina Marroquin, Andrea Dunning, Priscilla Nuno

Band Booster Meeting Minutes

September 2025

October 2025

November 2025

December 2025

January 2026

February 2026