Mr. James Banim came to West High School in 1979. During his twenty-nine year tenure at West High School the band has taken seven highly successful performance tours of Europe and has accumulated over 250 top honors and awards.  Mr. Banim taught for eight years in Florida before coming to California. While in Florida he was an adjudicator for the Florida Band Masters Association and was selected as the Florida "Teacher of the Year" in 1975.  He also taught three years at Alhambra High School before coming to West. There are four bands at West High School: The Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Band and the award winning marching Entertainment Unit.

Mr. Banim received his Bachelor's Degree from Florida State University and his Master's Degree from California State University, Los Angeles.  He is an adjudicator for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association and also served as a vice president for the association from 1987-1989. He has been recognized for his service to education by the Torrance Council of Parents, Teachers and Students, the Torrance City Council, the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association, West High School's first Teacher of the Year, Torrance Unified School District "Teacher of the Year", the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, the Music Education Guild, the Los Angeles Music Center "Bravo" award program, the Outstanding Teacher Recognition Program at the University of California at San Diego and the University of Kansas.