Getting Ready for the Recitals

Nov 03, 2017

Drum student and teacher at June 17 recitalI can’t believe we’re already heading into another holiday season and that can only mean one thing…there’s a student recital around the corner!! I absolutely love helping my students get ready for recitals because it’s such an important learning tool in addition to being a fun, enriching experience. Performing is a wonderful way for students to express themselves and show what they have learned. It also establishes clear goals for them to work towards which can spark a great deal of progress in the prior weeks. That’s why preparation is key!

Students are challenged to practice a whole new set of skills when they are on stage as opposed to being in a lesson room, so it is important for them to feel as prepared as possible. I work with my students to set and achieve clear goals each week and always practice consistency within the pieces. This allows for us to dig a bit deeper into the songs and really work out any trouble spots. I love this process because it can open up a more in depth dialogue about technique as well as how to add more emotion into a song.

Students perform at SunburstAs a vocalist, it can be fun to experiment with improvising melodies in a lesson, but for a performance I know students will feel much more in control if they have everything planned out. I have also found that having my students take a few slow, steady breaths to start every lesson helps to relax their shoulders, deepen their breath, and slow their heart rate. Acquiring simple breathing techniques can truly make the difference before a performing a piece on stage or off. So when my students step out in front of the crowd and under the lights, I am confident that their hard work will shine.

Although I only have one Sunburst recital under my belt, I was so impressed by all of the students’ positive attitudes and excitement to watch each other perform. They were all so supportive of each other and I realized how much that is a reflection of all the amazing teachers at Sunburst who support each other in that same way. My students left for the evening feeling accomplished and inspired which revitalized our lessons in the following weeks. These recitals are meant to bring students, parents, and faculty closer together and to help all of us recognize what a wonderful community we are building. I encourage all of my students to get involved with the recital because even though it can be intimidating and scary, I know they will feel so accomplished afterwards and will want to keep striving to be the best musician they can be!

Our recitals are Sunday 12/10 and Saturday 12/16 - Sign ups are open at the desk now!

 

Sunburst News - May 2024

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Summer Recital Sign Ups Open!

By Alex Stanton • 18 Apr, 2024
Sign ups are officially open for our Summer Recitals! As a reminder, each teacher is assigned to one or two 45 minute sessions during the first two weeks of June. Students can sign up by using the link below, or let us know here and we can help get you signed up. A few more reminders about recitals: Participation is free but we also collect donations to our Scholarship Fund . You can add a donation to your check out, or we take cash at the door, thank you for your contributions! Each session is about 45 minutes, will feature 12–15 students and we expect between 40–60 people in attendance. Friends and family are welcome, if you’d like to bring more than 4 family members just please let us know so we can plan seating etc. If you can’t make it to your instructor’s sessions and would still like to perform let us know! We want to make sure everyone who wants to gets a chance. Adults are welcome to perform in the normal sessions with their instructor, or in the special BYOB adults only session! Not all instructors will be in attendance for the adult sessions, so please discuss with them so you know if they’ll be there. Normally scheduled lessons and programs are ongoing during some of the earlier recital times, so please be aware when coming and going during the recitals. We are here to help with any of your recital related inquiries (and all others of course), please let us know. We can’t wait for this year’s performances!!

Sunburst Plays 80's Night - Like A Prayer Cover

By Alex Stanton • 17 Apr, 2024
Our Sunburst Plays staff band doing a little warm up for 80's Night with a cover of Madonna's Like a Prayer! Don't miss the show on May 25th... Get tickets here

Spring Cleaning in Squirrel Hill

By Alex Stanton • 15 Apr, 2024
It’s time for Spring Cleaning! Join Squirrel Hill Litter Patrol and Sunburst School of Music as we Clean Sweep our beautiful neighborhood! The official community event is on Sunday, April 21st, but you can gather a group to clean anytime between April 14th - 22nd! Be sure to snap a flick of your cleaning in action and send it to info@shuc.org or tag @squirrelhillurbancoalition on insta to be entered for a chance to win prizes from local businesses including a Sunburst gift card for free lessons!  Register here: http://forms.gle/QeyqmF67rayNoRBh6

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By Alex Stanton • 13 Mar, 2024
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Quest Labs with ECS

06 Dec, 2023
The first Quest Labs session with the Environmental Charter School was a success! Last month, we launched an intersession music production workshop with a cohort of ECS 8th graders. The Quest Labs program at ECS aims to provide students with opportunities to develop industry-level skills in their areas of interest and collaborate with individuals in their community who have experience working in those fields. Our dedicated instructors, Charlie Scott and Daniel Hayashi, are doing just that! They spent the first day guiding the group through the fundamental aspects of production, covering drums and beat-making, the creation and utilization of basic loops, and navigating SoundTrap—the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that we used for the workshop. Even on the first day, this group showcased impressive creativity, leaving us eager to hear how their projects will evolve over the next few months. By the end, we plan to release a compilation of their projects, including original artwork! We hope that you’ll stay tuned for our next recap in the January Newsletter. In the meantime, check out the amazing photos that ECS graciously took for us!
Musicians Gift Guide

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Winter Music Together Themes: Mixed-Age and Rhythm Kids

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