Construction Update - September 2022

Alex Stanton • September 12, 2022

Pardon the mess! Sunburst is undergoing renovations!

When we moved into our building in 2014, we occupied only about 1800 sq ft of the space and had 6 rooms for lessons. The entire floor had been a hair salon for the previous 15 years (Timothy’s for the Squirrel Hill history buffs) and before that a dentist, a restaurant, and even an infamous gambling club. As our school grew, we were able to add the remainder of the floor in two chunks, the final section was the former law office which was added in late 2019. Our current project is to tie all of these different spaces into one cohesive space that’s perfect for music lessons, group programs, performances, and more. Or as we’ve been joking, take all the bad rooms and turn them into good rooms. Before diving in we'd like to thank Kolano Design for all of their awesome work on this project!

The project is being broken into phases so that we only have a few rooms closed at a time. The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed next week! In this section, we’re turning the former law office area into 5 lesson rooms, a new administrative office, the reception area, an instrument workshop, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. Here’s the layout:

Once phase I is complete, we’ll be moving lessons out of current rooms 10, 11, 12 & 14 and into the 5 new rooms, and temporarily into the new administrative office.

Phases II and III will involve the back left quadrant of the school. In Phase II the current room 12 (our large room for Explore classes) will be converted into smaller rooms which allow us to make the hallway into a loop. In phase III the small rooms along the outside of the building (current 7,8,9) will be rolled together into one big room which will be the new home for our early childhood programming.

While rooms for different purposes will have different degrees of soundproofing, all of the rooms will have a level of sound isolation that’s well above typical office construction. The new rooms 6 and 8 as shown above will be smaller rooms but with the same sound isolation measures as our band rooms, which will allow all of our drum students to play on standard kits at every lesson–a dream of our drum team has been dreaming for years!

Finally, Phase IV of the project will be finishing the waiting room, expanding the stage, etc.

The project is currently in full swing, and we anticipate being completely finished in the next few months. We will be needing to shuffle students and teachers to different rooms as we move through the phases and for that, we appreciate your patience!

Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, feedback, etc; we can’t wait to share this amazing new space with everybody!

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5 Reasons to Start Playing in a Band

July 30, 2025

As summer break comes to a close, we’re gearing up for the next term of the Sunburst Band Program and would love to see some new faces this fall. Playing in a band is one of the best ways to progress as a musician, so we put together a list of five reasons why we encourage our students to seek out opportunities to play in groups—whether it's starting a band or jamming with a couple of friends. Progress Your rhythm, timing, and listening skills improve quickly when you start playing in a band or group setting. While private lessons and solo practice are essential pieces of the puzzle, playing with others introduces new variables—like tempo changes, dynamics, and coordination—that challenge you to stay in sync with your bandmates and adapt to each other. We’ve seen so many students level up after just a couple months in the Sunburst Band Program–the progress happens fast! Friends and Connections We love watching our students and their families become friends and our band program has been a natural starting point for many of those relationships. Some of our current bands have stayed together for years, and it's awesome to see them hang out outside of lessons and support each other at shows. Plus, one of the best ways to get gigs is through connections with other musicians! Motivation Playing in a band is super motivating because you're part of a group working toward an exciting shared goal. Whether you're learning a new song, building a set list, or getting ready for a show, the process becomes more exciting and rewarding when you're making music you love with people you enjoy being around. That shared energy turns practice into something much more fun and meaningful. Performing Performing can be nerve-wracking, but it gets easier the more you do it, and being on stage with your friends makes it less scary. We love seeing how our students' stage presence and confidence grow with each performance—it’s one of our favorite parts of being teachers! As we mentioned, shows are a great place to make connections with musicians who you’d like to collaborate with in the future. Simply put, playing more shows leads to playing more shows. Creative Outlet Music is a powerful tool for expression, and it’s important to have outlets for that at any age! Life is very fast paced for many of us, and it can be tough to pause and do the things you enjoy. Band practice can be a consistent anchor in your week—something you can rely on for connection, processing, and creating with your bandmates. As corny as it sounds, playing music is good for your spirit! If you’d like to know more about the Sunburst Band Program, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for more information. We also recommend talking with your private lessons instructor so that they’re aware and can help you prepare.