Andy Osman
The man behind Symphonic Winds' 6:50 AM rehearsals. Mr. Osman's no-nonsense teaching style and vast knowledge of musical terms, styles, and literature has made him somewhat of a legend at Long Beach Poly. In addition to instructing the Symphonic Winds, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra ensembles, Mr. Osman serves as the Music Curriculum Leader for the Long Beach Unified School District.

A graduate of UCLA, Mr. Osman was selected as a Northwestern University Summer Fellow in 1991. He served as the guest conductor for the 1996 All-Southern California Junior High School Honor Orchestra, as well as manager for the All-Southern California High School Honor Orchestra numerous times. He also serves as a festival adjudicator for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) and as a guest clinician.

Chris Stevens
Mr. Stevens is currently director of bands and chairman of the music department at Long Beach Poly. He is also a free-lance percussionist, having performed and recorded music in a diverse array of styles in the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. Mr. Stevens has performed with Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Andy Williams, Merv Griffin, Disney, the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Pacific Symphony, and Keith Brion's New Sousa Band.

Mr. Stevens is also a respected clinician in the fields of both percussion and Performance Education (dealing with issues regarding performance preparation, stage fright, etc), working with such organizations as the Pacific Symphony Institute, Musician's Institute of Hollywood CA, Orange County Philharmonic Society, KAT midi-percussion products, and the LP Music Group.

As an experienced jazz and drum-and-bugle-corp .... musician, Mr. Stevens leads Poly's Jazz and Marching Unit programs. While holding a B.A. in Psychology from CSU Fullerton, Mr. Stevens also has a professional clear teaching credential in Music from CSU Long Beach. He lives in Long Beach with his wife Tammy and his three children, Chelsea, Veronica, and Will.

Julia Gustafson
A graduate of Millersville State University in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Gustafson is teaching her sixth year at Poly High School. With a Master's degree in Music Education from CSULA and a double-major in Piano and Violin Performance, Mrs. Gustafson is well-suited to instruct the Poly String Orchestra, in addition to offering piano classes to students. She teaches at Poly on a part-time basis and happily spends the balance of her day as an "at-home" mom with her young son.

Previously the director of the LBUSD'S Suzuki Strings Magnet Program since its inception in 1981, Mrs. Gustafson has registered nine teaching training classes in string pedagogy with the Suzuki Association of Americas (SAA). Mrs. Gustafson has served as guest clinician at SCSBOA conferences and has taught violin and piano privately in Long Beach for many years.

Long Beach Poly Choir

The Grammy-award winning Music Department at Long Beach Polytechnic High School is comprised of over 600 students with five faculty members currently teaching 21 different music courses. As the Director of Choral Activities, Brian Dokko directs 200 students in six choral ensembles accompanied by pianist Bill Steck, supported also by our choral booster club, the Poly Choral Music Association. Together we embody the proud Poly traditions that celebrate the highest standards of excellence in music education, through which we constantly strive to enrich the lives of our students. Our music reflects the diversity of our student body, covering a multitude of genres including classical, jazz, pop, gospel, world music, and many others.

In addition to performing extensively locally, the Poly Choral Music Department has traveled across the world, performing in venues such as St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Amsterdam, The New York City Vocal Jazz Festival in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center, as well as choral performance tours to France, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hawaii. Whether our students are singing to prepare themselves for a career in music or simply for the enjoyment of the art, we constantly strive towards meaningful musical experiences for our students and audiences alike. We should be very proud of the achievements of our students who continually set high standards for themselves, in and out of the classroom. As part of the Long Beach community, we are obligated to do all we can to ensure these opportunities for artistic and personal success are always in the hands of our students.