Shasta High School’s Instrumental Program is directed by Mr. Jesse Ajamian.

Jesse Ajamian (jajamian@suhsd.net) is our new instrumental music teacher at Shasta High School. He is originally from Redding, CA and earned his Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies from Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles in 2016. Upon graduating, Jesse was a music teacher for elementary and middle schools and was an active musician in LA; primarily with his jazz trio. Together, they performed in the greater Los Angeles Area and held residencies for Hilton Hotels, Freidman’s Eatery, and General Lee’s Lounge. They also performed at the Eclectic Music Festival in Pasadena, CA, two years consecutively.  He moved back to Redding in 2019 where he led various small jazz ensembles, taught private drum and piano lessons, and adjudicated small ensemble festivals before taking the position at Shasta High School.

The instrumental program consists of four different groups:

Concert Band, Band I
Symphonic Band, Band II
Jazz Ambassadors, Jazz Band
Orchestra

Shasta High School is one of the very few music departments in Northern California that perform musicals with a live orchestra instead of a pre-recorded soundtrack. The Choir Program is fortunate to be working alongside them every year for our annual Musical and Madrigal Dinner.

Throughout the years, numerous instrumentalists have also been part of the choir program. If you’re considering enrolling in both classes, we recommend speaking with an academic counselor to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts or graduation requirements.