9/16/25

Dear ESMS Music Parents/Guardians:

Tonight we are holding our first parent and family music meeting. Please join us on the Zoom at 5PM. Click the link!

Estimados padres/tutores de música de ESMS:

Esta noche tenemos nuestra primera reunión de música para padres y familias. Únanse a nosotros por Zoom a las 5 p. m. ¡Hagan clic en el enlace!

CALLELA, LETICIA E is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Music Parent Meeting

Time: Sep 16, 2025 05:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://lausd.zoom.us/j/86502012870

Meeting ID: 865 0201 2870

11/19/24

Dear ESMS Music Parents/Guardians:

We are just WEEKS away from our Winter Concert on Thursday, Dec. 11th, 2024, at 6:00PM. It is an important showcase of the hard work our students have put in. Attendance at all performances and dress rehearsals is mandatory and will contribute to their academic grade.

Please ensure that your child is dressed and ready before arriving at school for the dress rehearsal. If any issues are preventing your child from attending, please notify me by December 4th. We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the concert to support our talented students!

Location: ESMS Auditorium, 2839 N. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032 (closest to Farmdale).

Concert Itinerary: Call time is 4:30PM for tuning, warming up, and running through the show. Students are expected to be dressed before the concert starts and stay until the end to assist with cleaning up.

Formality: Black and white formal clothing UNLESS they have a uniform (Mariachi). As a reminder, it is their final and for some their first concert - dress to impress!

Exceptions: Students may wear religious garments/head coverings or adhere to religious modesty practices without requesting exceptions. Adaptive clothing for sensory or mobility needs is welcome.

Additional Support: Students can request support for clothing by contacting Mrs. Austin or Ms. Jackie.

Lastly, I strongly encourage ALL students to take their instruments home during the break so that they can fine-tune their skills in preparation for the concert. I'll be locking up everything at 1:00 PM on Friday.

Hope you all have a restful Fall Break!

Estimados padres/tutores de ESMS Music:

Estamos a SEMANAS de nuestro Concierto de Invierno el jueves 11 de diciembre de 2024 a las 6:00 p. m. Es una muestra importante del arduo trabajo que han realizado nuestros estudiantes. La asistencia a todas las presentaciones y ensayos generales es obligatoria y contribuirá a su calificación académica.

Asegúrese de que su hijo esté vestido y listo antes de llegar a la escuela para el ensayo general. Si hay algún problema que impida que su hijo asista, notifíqueme antes del 4 de diciembre. ¡Esperamos verlo a usted y a sus amigos en el concierto para apoyar a nuestros talentosos estudiantes!

Ubicación: Auditorio ESMS, 2839 N. Eastern Ave., Los Ángeles, CA 90032 (más cercano a Farmdale).

Itinerario del concierto: El horario de convocatoria es a las 4:30 p. m. para afinar, calentar y repasar el espectáculo. Se espera que los estudiantes estén vestidos antes de que comience el concierto y se queden hasta el final para ayudar con la limpieza.

Formalidad : Ropa formal en blanco y negro, A MENOS QUE traiga uniforme (Mariachi). Les recordamos que es su último concierto y, para algunos, el primero. ¡Vístanse para impresionar!

Excepciones : Los estudiantes pueden usar vestimentas religiosas o tocados o adherirse a prácticas de modestia religiosa sin solicitar excepciones. Se aceptan prendas adaptadas para necesidades sensoriales o de movilidad.

Soporte adicional : Los estudiantes pueden solicitar soporte para ropa comunicándose con la Sra. Austin o la Sra. Jackie.

Por último, recomiendo encarecidamente a TODOS los estudiantes que se lleven sus instrumentos a casa durante el descanso para que puedan perfeccionar sus habilidades de cara al concierto. Cerraré todo a las 13:00 horas del viernes.

¡Esperamos que todos tengan unas vacaciones de otoño relajantes!

Best,

Mrs. Austin

9/4/24

Thank you to everyone for attending our Back to School Night!

Here is some important information for all of you:

Remind codes for each class

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 5

Period 6

Period 7

4/24/24

Dear ESMS Music Students/Parents/Guardians:

Scholarship Opportunity for this summer at the LA County High School for the Arts (LACHSA)!

SCHOLARSHIP DETAILS

We have (3) of scholarships we're awarding to your school. Students need to be aged 9-15 (ideally 9-11) at the time of the program. They do not need to have any prior experience, just an interest in or passion for the arts. Meals and transportation are not provided, but we do offer extended hours from 7:30 am - 5:30 pm. Each scholarship is valued at $1500.

(1) MUSIC VOCAL Session One: June 24 - July 12

(2) MUSIC VOCAL Session Two: July 15 - Aug 2

Please notify Mrs. Austin by 4/26 if you are interested in being considered for this scholarship! If LACHSA does not get a list of names from us, we forfeit the scholarships (sad).

MORE ABOUT THE SUMMER ARTS CONSERVATORY

The Summer Arts Conservatory at LACHSA is a 3-week program offered twice a summer for students ages 9-15 to explore their passion in dance, theatre, music vocal, cinematic arts, and visual arts. Students take conservatory-style classes every day and at the end of each session, they perform in a showcase for their parents. For more information, visit summerartsconservatory.com

MORE ABOUT LACHSA

LACHSA (LA County High School for the Arts) is a tuition-free high school on the campus of Cal State University, LA and we would like students in nearby neighborhoods to know more about this amazing opportunity right in their backyard! Anyone in LA County can apply to LACHSA, but admittance is based entirely on audition. The goal of this outreach opportunity is to increase access to quality training so students from all backgrounds can feel confident and prepared to apply to LACHSA. To learn more about LACHSA, visit lachsa.net

11/16/23

Dear ESMS Music Parents/Guardians:

We have 3 topics to cover in this email. First: We are just WEEKS away from our Winter Concert on Thursday, Dec. 7th, 2023, at 6:00PM. It is an important showcase of the hard work our students have put in. Attendance at all performances and dress rehearsals is mandatory and will contribute to their academic grade.

Please ensure that your child is dressed and ready before arriving at school for the dress rehearsal. If there are any issues preventing your child from attending, please notify me at least 2 weeks in advance. We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the concert to support our talented students!

Location: ESMS Auditorium, 2839 N. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90032 (closest to Farmdale).

Concert Itinerary: Call time is 4:30PM for tuning, warming up, and running through the show. Students are expected to be dressed before the concert starts and stay until the end to assist with cleaning up.

Formality: Black and white concert dress UNLESS they have a uniform (Mariachi). As a reminder it is their final and for some their first concert - Wear what feels special to you!

Exceptions: Students may wear religious garments/head coverings or adhere to religious modesty practices without requesting exceptions. Adaptive clothing for sensory or mobility needs is welcome.

Additional Support: Students can request support for clothing by contacting Mrs. Austin or Ms. Jackie.

Next item of discussion is their IB Musician. Students should know by now who they are going to talk about for their project. They have a choice: they can write an essay OR create a video reel OR a Google Slideshow OR a Canva Infographic. All the examples are in a pink folder on Schoology Titled IB Musician Options. These projects are due on 11/27 when we return. I will be checking in with studets on Friday to see what they are still deciding to do.

Finally, I strongly encourage ALL students to take their instruments home during break so that they can fine tune their skills in preparation for the concert. I'll be locking up everything at 3:30 on Friday afternoon.

Hope you all have a restful Fall Break!

Best,

Mrs. Austin

11/6/23 Updates RE: Winter Concert

Hello everyone!

Due to our end of the semester English and Math testing, we are not going to have school assemblies for ESMS' Winter Concert... HOWEVER, that means that we are having a FULL program on 12/7/23 in the evening! We will have raffles, concessions, and some special guests joining us from up on the hill ;) 

I will be sending out an invite and details next week but I wanted to update everyone on the latest development.

-Mrs. Austin

For the week of 9/26/23

Announcements and reminders:

• Please drop off any instruments outside of M2 before Advisory in the morning.

• Make sure you have your folder and composition notebook (except for those of you who have them to me - I’ll give them back in class this week).

• Lastly: do not be scared if you do NOT see your grade on Schoology. I will transfer grades tomorrow after the class names change. The counselors fixed the name but it seems that the LMS will delete the work. I'll make sure all grades are still up to date and reflect your work up to 9/22/23.

Sent out on 9/27/23 via Blackboard

Dear ESMS Music Students and parents/guardians:

Be advised that instruments ARE available to check out for at-home practice purposes. Students can also come in during their lunch and practice to get their practice minutes out of the way.

1st year students are expected to practice 60 minutes (1 hour) a week.

2nd year students should be practicing a minimum of 120 minutes (2 hours) a week.

By now, most Beginner classes owe 4 hours of practice and Advanced students at least 10 hours. We are training muscles, ears, and minds, so practice is IMPORTANT for all our musicians. Practicing is so important to get a handle on how the instrument works, develop an embouchure or hand strength, and start gaining muscle memory. 

Bonus Tip: Practicing in a place where students can concentrate without distractions like the TV or your smartphone will make those 20-30 minutes more productive. But it’s okay if you have a few days where you don’t feel like you “learned anything.” Be patient with yourself and have fun with it!

Any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at lec9307@lausd.net

7/31/2023 

Welcome back to school! 

It is with a full heart and renewed mind that I welcome you all back to our beautiful El Sereno MS campus. I hope our music makers are ready as we are embarking on a new journey for many of them! We have our new Intermediate String Orchestra and our Intermediate Mariachi Los Jaguares that will have their classes this fall for the first time in three years! Since the shutdown, we struggled to bring back our larger ensembles but we hope that this year marks the beginning of things to come with our department. 

On the other side of things, we bid farewell to Mr. Medina and wish him well on his new journey at Nightingale MS. We know that he did great work here at ESMS during his brief stay and we know that he and Mr. Sanchez at Lincoln HS will be working diligently bringing back their music departments, just as we have. 

We have much to look forward to this year with more collaboration with Wilson and hopefully other schools and organizations in the area. 

I am so excited to start this school year. See you on 8/14/23!

¡Bienvenido de nuevo al colegio!

Es con un corazón lleno y una mente renovada que les doy la bienvenida a todos a nuestro hermoso campus de El Sereno MS. ¡Espero que nuestros creadores de música estén listos ya que nos embarcamos en un nuevo viaje para muchos de ellos! ¡Tenemos nuestra nueva Orquesta de Cuerdas Intermedia y nuestro Mariachi Intermedio Los Jaguares que tendrán sus clases este otoño por primera vez en tres años! Desde el cierre, luchamos por recuperar nuestros conjuntos más grandes, pero esperamos que este año marque el comienzo de lo que vendrá con nuestro departamento.

Por otro lado, nos despedimos del Sr. Medina y le deseamos lo mejor en su nuevo viaje en Nightingale MS. Sabemos que hizo un gran trabajo aquí en ESMS durante su breve estadía y sabemos que él y el Sr. Sánchez en Lincoln HS trabajarán diligentemente para recuperar sus departamentos de música, tal como lo hemos hecho nosotros.

Tenemos mucho que esperar este año con más colaboración con Wilson y, con suerte, con otras escuelas y organizaciones en el área.

Estoy muy emocionada de comenzar este año escolar. ¡Nos vemos el 14/08/23!

Mrs. Austin

6/8/2022

Good afternoon students and parents,

First, I want to congratulate our four students: Kaylene Gaitan, Iris Flores, Milley Ferreyra Zamora and Michelle Alvarez for receiving full scholarships to the summer Conservatory at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA)!

The LACHSA Summer School coordinator has just reached out and told me there are more open slots for the 3 Week Vocal Music course. If you're interested in applying please let me know BY TOMORROW so that we can hopefully get some more of you scholarships to attend!

Finally, for those interested in attending LACHSA for their Stage Tech program, here is some important information:

We are excited for your students to consider our LACHSA Stage-Tech Program for incoming 9th graders this coming 2022-23 school year! Our application is open now and the deadline to complete is Friday, June 17th.

For students and families that may have missed our last informational, we have another upcoming opportunity over Zoom on Monday, June 13th at 6:30 PM. Please join us and bring your questions.

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://lacoe-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvceqrpzsiHNyHoUqBCo_qYn9pW4cGgYbI   

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For students ready to apply, please have them start their application here.

Important Dates:

Zoom Info night – Monday, June 13

Application due – Friday, June 17

Interviews (tentative over Zoom) – Friday or Saturday June 24-25

Inform of acceptances – Friday, July 1

Any questions, please email me.

Thanks!

Mrs. Austin