Instructor Band Bonanza 2019

June 3, 2019

Each June we like to highlight all of our instructor's exciting musical projects in our Instructor Band Bonanza! Check em out:

hunnycomb Project Name: hunnycomb

Teacher(s) Involved: Chloe Wieczorek, Kevin Lynch

How did your group get started?
Before the group came to be(e)...lol...Chloe performed as a solo artist, collaborating with various musician friends. Then she found some home bois 4 lyfe and they were Kevin on drums, Bryce Rabideau on guitar, and Jonah Petrelli on bass.

How would you describe your sound?
R&B/Neo-Soul... Jazzy-Pop nectar for your soul.

What's on the horizon for your group?
The horizon = a lot of performing, writing, recording, and promoting. We plan to release at least one single before the end of the year, in preparation for our 2020 album debut. (Oh and we have a cover music video streaming the interwebs this Friday!)

Where can we listen to your music and/or see you play?
Follow us online @hunnycombmusic on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

Here's when you can catch us this summer:
6/8 - 9pm - w/ Lyndsey Smith and Starship Mantis @ Hard Rock Cafe
6/14 - 7pm - Frick Park After Dark @ Frick Environmental Center
7/6 - 7pm - Stars at Riverview Jazz Series @ Riverview Park, Observatory Hill
7/12 - 4pm - Deutschtown Music Festival @ Main Stage

Rose Winston Project Name: Rose Winston

Teacher(s) Involved: Solo project by Anne Angyal

How would you describe your sound?
Lo-fi Electronic Pop - It has been described as Animal Collective/Arthur Russell meets Sade

What's on the horizon for your group?
This summer Rose Winston will tour the East Coast and Midwest for a few weeks in August. Look online at www.rosewinston.com to see if you might be traveling in one of those cities - or tell your friends to come out and say hi.

Where can we listen to your music and/or see you play?
You can listen online (Spotify, Bandcamp, Youtube), CDs will be available soon and Rose Winston will be playing in Pittsburgh at Nights of Conroy with Ami Dang on Aug. 24

radon chong Project: Radon Chong

Teachers Involved: Brian Hecht

How did your group get started:

I rediscovered some midi files I generated with notation software before I knew anything about harmony or music theory. I liked the mix of randomness and everything being in the same key (I don’t think I knew how to enter sharps and flats in the software). I started writing little things on the guitar, trying to capture this “vibe.” Once the band was put together the music became shaped more by the musician’s personalities and individual styles than by my early unschooled experiments, but we tried to keep an attitude of not worrying if things “made sense.” The big discovery for me was that it's not necessary to set arbitrary limits on the music you are making; in the absence of unlimited time and money limits will present themselves.

How would you describe your sound:

The city paper described our debut cassette as “sitting at the intersection of post-rock’s interwoven trajectories and Captain Beefheart’s atonal laments.”

What’s on the horizon for your group:

We plan on releasing a 4 song EP sometime in the second half of the year.

Where can we listen:

http://sgmgrecords.com/artists/radon-chong/

https://radonchong.bandcamp.com

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Sunburst News - September 2025

September 1, 2025

Catch up on Sunburst’s latest news: The Sunburst Band Program, Music Together classes, community drum circles, free music classes, new instructors, and upcoming concerts!

Sunburst News - August 2025

August 1, 2025

August- Issue #96

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.