August 2026 - Issue #108
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Sunburst Cabaret 🎬
- House Band Auditions 🎶
- Squirrel Hill Night Market 🎤
- Fall Band Program 🥁
- Student Feature 🎸
- Free Classes 🎹
IMPORTANT DATES
- Songwriter Group Share - 8/16
- Piano Club - 8/21
- Squirrel Hill Night Market - 8/22
- Jazz Jam - 8/28
- Labor Day Closure - 9/7
- Cabaret Ghibli - 9/18
Calling all Studio Ghibli Fans!
Calling Miyazaki fans everywhere! Our next Sunburst Cabaret celebrates the music of the Studio Ghibli film collection. Join us on Friday, September 18 from 7-8 PM to hear selections from favorites like Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, and more performed by Sunburst students and staff.
Date : Friday, September 18th
Time : 7pm
Location : Sunburst School of Music, 5843 Forbes Avenue
House Band Auditions
Exciting news! Auditions for the next season of the Sunburst House Band are officially right around the corner!
The House Band is our all-star group for musicians ages 10-17 who are ready to turn up the volume, bring their energy to the stage, and take their playing to the next level. We're talking headlining sets at our Winter and Spring Showcases, awesome pop up gigs throughout the year, as well as other exciting opportunities.
Each student auditioning will choose a 2 minute excerpt of a song that best shows off their musicianship and will perform it in front of our judges. To be eligible for the house band auditions, students must be between the ages 10-17 and currently enrolled in lessons or one of our other programs. Once accepted, House Band participation is FREE for students who are also in a Sunburst Band Program Group. Otherwise, it's the same cost as the band program.
Auditions will be held Friday, September 11th from 5pm-7pm. If you want to participate but can't make that date, let us know and we'll set up a private audition.
We can't wait to see you rock the audition. Good luck!
Squirrel Hill Night Market
The second Squirrel Hill Night Market of 2026 is this month. Join us the evening of August 22nd for a night of great food, vibes, and music. Sunburst is thrilled to be partnered with Uncover Squirrel Hill to present this month's artists including local rock band Outside the Lines, Klezmer group Veverke, rock band Cosmic Shag, and jazz phenoms Thanakarn Limtham Trio. The music runs from 6-10pm at the corner of Murray and Darlington Ave. Come and say hi!
Fall Band Program
Have you ever dreamed about being in a band? The Sunburst Band Program lets students experience the joy of collaborating with their peers, where they learn to blend their unique talents, listen to one another, and create a truly unified sound. As part of the band you will have weekly rehearsals, build set lists, perform at local community events, and grow your musicianship together with your bandmates along with guidance from our specialized band coaches!
If that sounds like something you're interested in, please fill out our inquiry form below and a member of our team will be in touch with any openings!
Behind "Plastic Faces": Abbey Kelkenberg's New Single
You're at a party. You should be having fun. But instead, you're hiding out in the bathroom, listening to the music pound through the wall. That's the image Abbey had in mind while writing her latest single, "Plastic Faces".
"I don't want it to be a soundtrack for someone being sad," she says, "but that's how I imagine the song, like, whoa, this song really gets you, even though you're in the bathroom at a party and just want to go home."
That's the emotional center of "Plastic Faces," a song about the quiet exhaustion of navigating high school social circles and discerning genuine connection from feigned interest.
"When you're neurodivergent, or kind of weird, people in high school don't really want to talk to you, but they'll pretend like they do," she explains. "It's super frustrating, because you're just trying to navigate what's real and who you can trust. 'Plastic Faces' is about how people put up this facade, and if we were more genuine, it would cause so much less stress. But instead, high schoolers have to go through that process, and it's really stressful."
That tension shows up most clearly in the chorus, which Abbey says came together almost immediately and never changed. "Everyone is lying straight to my face" was one of the first lines she wrote, and by the time she got to "everybody here is totally fake, plastic faces peeled away," she knew she had her song. "That last line was the one I knew had to be in the final version. I loved it so much."
Free Classes
Songwriter Group Share - Sunday, August 16th
Are you a seasoned or new songwriter looking to share music and get some peer feedback? Bring your instrument, voice, and what you're working on to our monthly songwriting group, peer facilitated by Abbey Martin. This group is open to all adults ages 18+ and meets on the third Sunday of each month from 3-5pm.
Piano Club - Friday, August 21st
Piano Club is a free monthly class led by Jaime Cohen, full of games, music education, and piano fun! This club is a great opportunity for our piano students to build music theory skills, play interactive games like Music Jeopardy, and gain performance experience.
Age Groups
- Ages 5-7 - 5:30-6:15pm
- Ages 8+ from 6:15-7pm
Jazz Jam - Friday, August 28th
You're invited to Sunburst Jazz Jam for ages 14-adults! Whether you're a total beginner, an experienced pro, or a music lover who just wants to listen, this space is for everyone to have fun, grow, and connect through music. This group will meet every 4th Friday from 7-9pm.
If you'd like to play, please review our provided list of jazz standards. Anyone is welcome to join in, but we ask that those taking the stage familiarize themselves with at least one tune from the list.
What to Prepare
School Closure Reminder
Sunburst will be closed on Monday, September 7th, for Labor Day. Your flat monthly tuition includes lessons every week, except when we are closed for holidays (see our calendar). We do not issue makeup credits for these days. You can view a full list of our billing and scheduling policies in our Terms and Conditions here.
Thank you for reading!
Let us know if you have any questions or comments. As always, thanks for being a part of the Sunburst Community!
Best Wishes,
–Sunburst Team