Keeping on Beat: February 2026

We had lots of amazing events in January. Our Disneyland trip was an unforgettable experience for our students! While at the park, students worked with a professional clinician to record music and hear their performance played back alongside scenes from Disney films, which was an exciting way to see how music comes to life.

After the workshop, students enjoyed a full day at Disney California Adventure, making memories, bonding as a group, and celebrating their hard work. A huge thank you to our staff for organizing such a meaningful trip and to our volunteers for generously supporting our students.

Looking ahead, February and March will be busy months for our music program. Families can expect to see multiple permission slips coming through ParentSquare as we move into festival season and upcoming events. Please also remind students to check their Google Classroom living calendars regularly to stay up to date.

Solo & Ensemble Festival was a wonderful success! We were proud to see so many talented musicians from SEMS and Double Peak participate by singing and performing on their instruments. Events like this give students a chance to grow in confidence, musicianship, and performance skills.

Thank you to our staff and volunteers for making this event possible. Be sure to check out the video highlights below to see some special moments from the day!

As we begin festival season, we wanted to share a quick overview for families who may be new to these events. A music festival is a gathering of school bands, orchestras, or choirs that perform prepared music for professional judges. Students receive feedback based on state and national music standards, rather than competing directly against other schools.

This is an important opportunity for students to showcase their hard work, grow as musicians, and gain performance experience. Festivals are open to the public and free to attend. For more details, please see the attached guide.

To help cover festival registration and event costs, a festival participation fee is required. Payments can be made securely at the link below. Thank you for your continued support of our music program. https://semsbandandchoir.square.site/festivals

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 Mediamaster

1 Jazz Coordinator

Parent Volunteer Coordinator

Student Activities Coordinator

Fundraising Coordinator

Thank you for being such a supportive music community!

Booster Meeting 6pm @ SEMS in PAC

Wednesday February 4

78 Honor Band Rehearsal @ SEMS 5pm

Thursday February 5

78 Honor Band Rehearsal @ SEMS 6pm

Friday February 6

78 Honor Band Rehearsal @ SEMS 10am-7:30pm

Saturday February 7

78 Honor Band Concert @ San Marcos High School 1pm

Sunday February 8

Choir to the Opera (Optional Trip) Leave SEMS @ 3:30pm

Wednesday February 11

No School (Washington's Birthday)

Friday February 13

No School (President's Day)

Monday February 16

Gig Jazz Dine out @ Tin Leaf 6-8pm

Tuesday February 17

Concert Band at SMUSD Festival

Wednesday February 25

Golden Eagle Band at SMUSD Festival

Thursday February 26

Wind Symphony at SMUSD Festival

Friday February 27

Thanks to the incredible support of our band families and the Leighton Foundation grant, we were able to fully cover the cost of the Solo & Ensemble Festival for SEMS musicians. This opportunity was made possible entirely through your generosity and continued support — thank you for helping make meaningful musical experiences accessible for our students!

Please continue supporting our band program by joining us for our next Dine Out Fundraiser at Tinleaf Kitchen. Enjoy delicious food and listen to Gig Jazz perform live while supporting our musicians.

📍 Tinleaf Kitchen
6985 El Camino Real, #108
Carlsbad, CA 92009

🗓 Tuesday, February 17, 2026

We hope to see you there!

Details for our Gig Jazz Members:

• Schedule

• 4:30pm: Loading Crew at SEMS

• 5:45pm: Report time for all musicians at Tin Leaf

• 6:45pm: Dinner Break

• Please fill out PIZZA FORM if your student will be eating pizza

• If the form is not filled out we assume your student will be dining with you at Tin Leaf or has an alternative meal

• 7:10pm: Play more music

• 8pm: pack up and head back to SEMS

• Performance will be from 6-8 pm with a short break for dinner

Attire is all black with flair

We’re excited to announce that our band is now fundraising through Raise Right—a simple, passive way to support our program! With Raise Right, everyday purchases turn into earnings for our music department at no extra cost to you.

Click below for more information and to start supporting today.

Website: https://www.raiseright.com/

Organization Code: AFL187887L449

Thank you for helping us keep the music playing!

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

• Monthly Booster Meeting March 4 (6pm)
• GEB & CB at El Camino HS/Boomers March 5
• Winds at CSU Fullerton Festival March 6
• All Jazz at Double Peak Mini Jazz Festival March 11 (4-7pm)
• 8th Grade Field Trip to SMHS March 12
• Beginning Band Coffee Concert for Parents Periods 2, 5, 7 March 13
• Winds & GEB at SD Winds Composer Festival March 14*
• Choir at SCVA Festival March 19
• House and Gig Jazz Bands at PLNU Jazz Festival March 21*
• Gig Jazz at SEMS for 5th Grade Parent Night March 25 (5pm)
• Gig Jazz at LCM for Open House March 26 (5pm)
• Spring Break March 30-April 3

*Denotes a Saturday event

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!

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 Rocha-Ventura

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