Sunburst News - December 2025

December 1, 2025

November 2025 - Issue #99


IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Winter Party ❄️
  • Meet the 2026 Sunburst House Band 🥁
  • Holiday Gift Guide 🎁
  • Gift Cards 💌
  • Free Classes 🎹
  • Instructor Updates 🎼
  • 2026 School Calendar 🗓
  • School Closure Reminder ⛄

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Producers Meet Up - 12/12
  • Winter Recitals - 12/13-12/14
  • Piano Club - 12/19
  • Songwriter Group Share - 12/21
  • Holiday Break - 12/23-1/1

Summer Recitals

Winter Party


Join us for our Winter Party on December 19th from 7-9pm! There will be snacks, crafts, and live music featuring the Sunburst Band Program. We'd love to see you one more time before the holidays! As always, feel free to bring a friend. This party is for everybody!


Meet the Sunburst House Band


After an impressive round of auditions in early October, we recently welcomed a new group of students into the Sunburst House Band! As always, these auditions were a joy to watch; it’s like having a front row seat to our students' progress and we see that as a huge privilege. It takes considerable practice to prepare for an audition, and even more courage to do it. So without further adieu, we want to give a very warm welcome to the Sunburst House Band for the 2025-2026 school year: congratulations to Sigrid, Gwendolyn, Nathan, Shira, and Peregrine!

 

We recently sat down with the group and asked them about their experience with music and what they’re looking forward to playing at their first show.

Read More Here

Free classes

Holiday Gift Guide



Looking for a holiday gift for the musician in your family? Look no further! Updated for 2025, the SBHGG is back to help you filter the noise and get the most band for your buck! Shopping for instruments can be daunting; not only are they expensive, but finding the right fit can be quite personal. This is why it’s always best to shop local and try things out in person when you can. If you’re looking to maximize the element of surprise, there are some go-to items we recommend; things we use ourselves, things our students have had success with, and things we feel are the right combination of price and quality.

Read More Here

Sunburst Gift Cards


Give the gift of music this winter with Sunburst gift cards! New Students get a FREE 30 minute bonus lesson with gift card purchases of $150 or more until December 31st!

 

Choose your preferred amount or go with one of our standard options if you're not sure where to start!

  • $165 – 30 minute lessons
  • $220 – 45 minute lessons
  • $290 – 60 minute lessons
  • Custom – Choose your amount 

We can email or mail a print copy to you or the recipient. Each gift card comes with a personal link to book your first lesson online. You can also give us a call or stop in to book. Please check out the link below for more details.

Learn More

Free Classes This Month


Music Producers Meet Up - Friday, December 12th

The Sunburst Producers Meet-Up is a free monthly gathering hosted by our instructor Charlie Scott for teen producers ages 14 and up to share their works in progress and receive feedback from peers. This group meets on the second Friday of every month from 7–9pm.

 

Piano Club - Friday, December 19th

Piano Club will meet one week early this month due to the holiday break. Join Jaime Cohen for class on 12/19 for lots of piano fun and games. Piano Club is a great opportunity for students to build music theory skills, play interactive games like Music Jeopardy, and gain performance experience.


Age Groups

  • Ages 5–7 from 5:30–6:15pm
  • Ages 8+ from 6:15–7pm



Songwriter Group Share - Sunday, December 21st

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+ including non Sunburst students.

Sign Up Here

Welcome Molly Neale!


Sunburst is excited to welcome our newest instructor, Molly Neale, a great addition to both Pittsburgh and our Sunburst family! Recently relocated to the city, Molly is eager to build connections and inspire students of all ages through the power of music.

 

A graduate of Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, Molly holds a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance (Vocals). Her rich background includes teaching both group and private lessons at School of Rock in Kirkwood, The Goddard School of Chesterfield, and through her own successful private studio in St. Louis. Her teaching style blends strong technical foundations with creativity, confidence-building, and fun. Molly brings a versatile skillset to Sunburst, offering instruction in contemporary, classic vocal styles, beginning piano, songwriting, and music theory.

Outside the classroom, Molly is actively involved in Pittsburgh’s music scene. She currently performs as a Soprano 2 with Belle Voci, Pittsburgh’s premier treble choir, and is excited to return to solo performing, something she loved during her years in St. Louis.

 

We are so excited for our students and families to meet Molly and experience her passion for music, education, and community. Please join us in welcoming her to Sunburst and to Pittsburgh!


2026 School Calendar



Our school calendar is set for 2026! You can view the calendar at sunburstmusic.com/calendar


School Closure Reminder


As the holiday season approaches, we want to remind everyone of our holiday break 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.

 

We will be closed 12/23-1/1 for Holiday Break. Thank you for your understanding and have a wonderful holiday season!


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

Musicians Gift Guide
By Alex Stanton December 9, 2025
The holidays are fast approaching and you’re trying to find the best gift for all of the amazing musicians in your family. There’s a lot of noise out there, but we at Sunburst are HEAR to help!
The Sunburst House Band students
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Get to know the Sunburst House Band for the 2025-2026 school year!
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2025 Winter Recitals
October 29, 2025
Signups for our 2025 Winter Recitals are now open! We’re inviting all students to take part in this special event. If it’s your first recital, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know. Learn more about our 2025 Winter Recitals here!
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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.
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