Chino Hills High School from Chino Hills, California, a southeastern suburb of Los Angeles, is a fast-growing community known for its great public schools. Chino Hills High School Band has grown as quickly as the town they hail from, and is fast becoming known for quality performances and cutting-edge programming. The band, under the leadership of Justin Wallin, has just taken delivery of brand-new, custom-designed Stanbury Uniforms.
The Chino Hills band is a strong competitor in the Western Band Association's 4A class, and competed at the Bands of America California Regional in Santa Clarita - and made the finals show in their first ever forray into the Bands of America scene. As one of nine bands from across California and Arizona taking the field that day in Stanbury Uniforms, they joined fellow Stanbury client Vista Murrieta High School as a finalist in the prestigious evening show.
Much credit for the fast-rise of this very progressive program is due to the energy and vision of 4th-year band director Justin Wallin. We at Stanbury Uniforms wanted to share a little about Justin, his motivations for the Chino Hills band program and learn how he went about creating a very-unique and one-of-a-kind look for his band.
Where did you attend college?
JW: I Graduated with a BA in Music Education from Cal State University-Fullerton and completed my BM in Educational Leadership from Cal Poly University, Pomona.
What teaching jobs have you held before CH?
JW: My first teaching job out of college was as the band director at Charles D. Jones JHS in Baldwin Park. I taught there for 4 years and during that time I was also was a clinician and instructor for various high school marching bands. In the summer of 2006, I accepted the position at Chino Hills High School and am now in my fourth year here.
What are your goals for the CH program?
JW: The goal for the entire program is to allow students to have a once in a lifetime experience in music while giving them the necessary opportunities to develop skills for life. In contrast to many programs, we don’t believe in an audition system. The philosophy of the staff is to make a world-class program accessible to any and all students. We would like for the students, first and foremost, to be responsible and dedicated to the organization and to their own musical development. From there we will continue to push the program and students to their potential, set high standards, and make the impossible, possible.
How did you go about choosing a new uniform for the band?
JW: Our school is seven years old and the band has never had a unique identity. The fall of 2009 became an important time because the staff had been together for four years and we finally had all of our own students in the program. With that being said, we decided fall 2009 would be the creation of our identity. In order to do so, we turned to Pat Seidling and Stanbury Uniforms.
Working with Pat Seidling to develop a new look for the ensemble was a great experience. Because of his vast experience with marching band and drum corps, he was able to understand our needs and concerns fully. What we thought could be a complex process, turned out to be very simple. And in the end, we ended up with a uniform that represents what we wanted. Simple, Assertive and Elegant.
The students love not only the unique design of the uniforms, but the comfort. One of the most important things we wanted was for the students to have shape and being form-fitting. The uniforms have that great, tapered fit that gives each shape to each perform yet is extremely comfortable so it allows the students and staff to be explorative with visuals and movement.
The band has grown fast in size and in quality. What’s been the key?
JW: The key has been sharing a vision and setting standards. Once students understand that the staff is completely committed to doing what is best for them, the students will then give their dedication in return. This ties into the standards we set. The students know that their staff, and the real world, will never settle for nothing less than 100%. In order to be successful in anything in life, 100% commitment, energy and dedication is required.
The interesting thing is that the staff has never set competitive goals. We’ve never said “We want to be Division Champions by 2009” or “We want to medal at championships.” The vision shared with the students is that we’re going to be Chino Hills and do what we do. Continue to work as hard as we can in order to realize our full potential. Once you put a competitive goal on a program, you create a ceiling. We’ve discovered that there is no ceiling at Chino Hills H.S. The staff and students will continue to set high standards and see where it takes us.
Any final thoughts on the band program at Chino Hills?
JW: We have an amazing band family at Chino Hills H.S. Clinicians and instructors come into the program and can’t believe how hard the students are willing to work. At the end of the day, when the kids come off the field like they just had the ride of their lives or at the end of four years when students graduate, prepared for the real world, parents and the community realize that we do good things. The staff, the students, and the parents are not part of our organization because they want trophies or plaques. We do it because it’s good for kids.
Thanks Justin, and best of luck to the students of the Chino Hills High School Band!
To learn more about the Chino Hills High School Music Program, and to support the band, check out www.chhsmusic.com.
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