Mike Gangemi Assistant Band Director

The 2012 school year will mark Mr. Gangemi's eleventh year at Westlake High School, after spending seven years holding the same position at Moorpark High School. Mr. Gangemi is a sought-after clinician and performer in the southern California music scene, specifically working with middle school and high school jazz and concert bands. Mr. Gangemi is a 1990 graduate of Westlake High School, where he held the lead and principal trumpet spots in the jazz and concert bands for all four years of his attendance. Mr. Gangemi is the Webmaster for the SCSBOA and is on the Board of Directors for the California Band Directors Association as the Webmaster. He is also the head organizer...and Webmaster...for the Ventura County High School Honor Band.

In addition to his duties at Westlake High School, Mr. Gangemi directs the "B" Jazz Band at Moorpark High School and heads up the award-winning jazz program at Colina Middle School. Newly formed in 2006, the program already has 2 very strong bands, with Jazz I placing 5th in the 2011 Reno International Jazz Festival and the Combo placing 4th in 2009. In addition, the Colina Jazz I Band has won the Santa Barbara Jazz Festival every year it has attended (2006-2009).

Mr. Gangemi's performing experiences include the Santa Barbara City College “Monday Madness” big band, the Soul City Survivors, and he annually performs around the state as a part of an Elvis Review featuring Raymond Michael, one of the best in the business. Mr. Gangemi saw America from the window of a bus for four months in 1998 while he played lead trumpet for the national tour of “Bye Bye Birdie” starring the late Troy Donahue. In addition, Mr. Gangemi toured Germany and Holland in 1990 and 1992 with the University of Southern California as a member of the "Pinkpop" foreign exchange jazz program —once as a performer, and once as a member of the instructional staff. Mr. Gangemi's proudest accomplishment to date is the formation of his own big band orchestra, The Lane 29 Orchestra.