We present results of calculations and experiments probing the electronic structure of self-assembled Ga 0 . 8 In 0 . 2 As semiconductor quantum dots by inelastic light scattering. The inelastic light scattering signal is strongly enhanced when the energy of the incident light is resonant with the first excited subband. Both the optical phonon and the low frequency scattering spectra exhibit a strong effect of optical alignment, i.e., when the exciting and the scattered light have the same linear polarization. To understand the results of measurements we calculate both the single particle energy levels and excitonic states in the disk. The calculations of the resonant light scattering cross section are interepreted in terms of the one-phonon resonant Raman process involving bulk acoustical phonons interacting with excited subband excitons of the quantum dot.