Sunburst News - April 2025

April 1, 2025

April 2025 - Issue #92

IN THIS ISSUE:

Summer Recital Announcement 🎤
Sunburst Cabaret 🎭
Music Together Spring Enrollment 🥁
Free Fridays 🎹
Sunburst Sessions 🎸
Spotlight on You! 📷
Summer Policy ☀️
School Closure Reminder 🗓

IMPORTANT DATES:

Producers Meet Up - 4/11
Spring Break Camp - 4/14 - 4/18
Spring Break - 4/14 - 4/20
Drum Circle - 4/19
Piano Club - 4/25
Sunburst Jams - 4/25
Sunburst Cabaret - 4/26
Songwriter Share - 4/27
Memorial Day - 5/26

Summer Recital Announcement

Our summer recitals are coming up, and we have an exciting twist! This year’s recitals will be held at Haven, a wonderful new all-ages venue in Oakland created by our own former teacher and student, Eli Alfieri. We think it will be the perfect space for our recitals, and it’s a really cool full-circle moment to be hosted by Eli!

Moving to a slightly bigger venue will let us adjust the format in a way that should be smoother for everyone. We’ll be hosting two epic recital days—Sunday, June 8, and Saturday, June 14—each running about six hours. We’ll schedule slots for each teacher just like we always do, but with ample seating. Students are invited to stay for as much of the performance as they like.

Stay tuned for teacher schedules and more details later this month. We can’t wait to cheer on our students and teachers as they share the music they’ve been working so hard on. Thanks for being part of our journey, and we’ll see you at the recitals!

P.S. Check out some other great shows happening at Haven here.

Sunburst Cabaret

Join us on Saturday, April 26th at 7pm for the next Sunburst Cabaret!The theme of this variety show is Dreams Come True at Sunburst: the Music of Disney, so come and enjoy selections from your favorite Disney movies like Toy Story, Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean and more!

While admission is free, registration is required to ensure we can prepare adequate seating in our lobby and maintain a safe capacity in the room. This event also doubles as a fundraiser for the Sunburst Music Scholarship Fund, with an optional donation at the door. Thank you for helping us support future music makers in our community - we can't wait to see you there!

Date: Saturday, April 26th

Time: 7pm

Location: Sunburst School of Music, 5843 Forbes Avenue

Calling All Performers! Are you a Sunburst student who’d love to share your talents at this magical, Disney-themed variety show? We’d be thrilled to have you join us. Please email us if you’re interested in taking part.

Get Tickets

Music Together Spring Enrollment

Enrollment is open for our Spring Music Together sessions! Sign up today to join in on the fun!

Mixed-Age Class | Ages 0–5

Join our Music Together Mixed Ages class and experience the joy of making music as children ages 0–5 and their caregivers sing, dance, and play instruments together!

Rhythm Kids | Ages 4–5

Discover the joy of Rhythm Kids Level I, where children ages 4-5 explore drumming, rhythm, and creative music-making in this fun and engaging class!

For more information and to sign up, check out the link below!

Sunburst Sessions

A New YouTube Series Showcasing Our Talented Community!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Sunburst Sessions, our brand-new YouTube series premiering this May on the Sunburst School of Music YouTube channel! This exciting initiative will feature monthly performances from talented bands within our Sunburst community, giving students and instructors a platform to share their music with a broader audience.

Each 15-20 minute session will spotlight a different band, offering a mix of original music and dynamic covers that highlight the diverse musical styles and creativity thriving at Sunburst. From rock to jazz, indie to blues, Sunburst Sessions will be a celebration of the musicianship and artistry that make our community so special.

Whether you’re a student, parent, or music enthusiast, we invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and tune in for the premiere of Sunburst Sessions! Show your support by liking, commenting, and sharing these performances to help spread the joy of music.

Stay tuned for more details on our first featured band and performance date. We can't wait to share this musical journey with you!

Free Classes

Music Producers Meet- Up

April 11th | Every 2nd Friday

Make connections with other young producers, share your works in progress, and receive feedback from your peers at the Music Producers Meet-Up led by Charlie Scott.

Ages 14+ | 7–9PM

Piano Club

April 25th | Every 3rd Friday (April's moved for Spring Break)

Get some extra practice in, expand your knowledge of music theory, and gain performance experience with Piano Club led by our instructor Jaime Cohen.

Ages 5–7 | 5:30–6:15PM
Ages 8+ | 6:15–7:00PM

Community Drum Circle

April 19th

Start making cohesive and exciting music in only a few minutes with our drum instructor Matt Price!

All Ages | 6PM
No sign up required

Sunburst Jams

April 25th | Every 4th Friday

Meet up to jam on your favorite songs with other students! Kids and Adult sessions available.

Ages 8+ | 5:30-7PM
Adults 18+ | 7–9PM

Songwriter Group Share

April 27th | Last Sundays

Meet with fellow songwriters and share your works in progress in a supportive space!

Adults 18+| 3–5PM

Spotlight on You!

Sign up for a photo/video feature!

We love showcasing our amazing students and are hoping to do more of that this year! If you're interested in being featured in a photo or video during your lesson, let us know! This could be a short clip of a song or exercise you're working on, or just a couple of photos.

Complete the form below to opt in!

Opt In

Summer Policy

We understand that summer schedules can be unpredictable, and that’s why we’re excited to offer you even more flexibility with your lessons. In addition to our usual makeup allowance, you can now cancel up to 4 lessons between June and August and receive a tuition credit! Just let the front desk know you'd like to use a summer cancelation, and they will adjust your account accordingly.

This new policy allows you to balance your summer activities while continuing to make progress in your musical journey. Reach out to our team if you have any questions about scheduling or cancellations, and we’ll be happy to help.

Summer Policy

School Closure Reminder

As Spring Break is right around the corner, we want to remind everyone of our billing policy. 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 your understanding and have a wonderful Spring Break!

Thanks for reading!

Let us know if you have any questions, comments, etc. Thanks as always for being a part of the Sunburst Community!

Best Wishes,

–Sunburst Team

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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.