Sunburst News - February 2025

February 1, 2025

February 2025 - Issue #90

IN THIS ISSUE:

Summer Camps on Sale ☀️
Join a Group Class this Winter! 🥁
Free Fridays 🎹
Sunburst Staff Recital POSTPONED 🎤
Thank you, Gabriel! ❤️
House Band Show Announcement 🎸
Wheel of Referrals 🎡

IMPORTANT DATES:

House Band Show - 3/8
Open Mic - 3/21
Spring Break - 4/14-4/20

Sunburst Summer Camps

Sunburst Summer Camps for ages 6-17 are on sale now! Campers will explore the wide world of music, including playing in a band, writing and recording songs, drum circles, beatmaking, art projects, and more. Each week culminates with a live performance on stage at Sunburst for friends and family. For more details and to sign up, check out the link below!

More Info Here

Now Enrolling in Winter Group Programs

We're excited to announce that enrollment for our Winter group programs is now open and classes for our early childhood crowd, kids, teens, and adults are on the menu!

Music Together

Music Together welcomes children from infants to 8 years old to start their musical journey. Each class offers a fun and engaging experience, perfect for beginners and open to everyone—no prior Music Together experience required.

The Suntones

The Suntones are back! Led by the talented Laura Fidalgo, this a’cappella group welcomes vocalists of all skill levels and ages—including adults. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned singer, this program will gradually prepare you to learn new songs and perform at exciting events throughout the year.

Sessions:

Ages 10–17: Thursdays, 7–8pm
Adults 18+: Thursdays, 8–9pm

The Sunburst Band Program

Join the Sunburst Band Program and experience the joy of playing in a band! This program provides a beginner-friendly introduction to playing with others, helping you build confidence and prepare for live performances. You'll surprise yourself with how quickly your musicianship progresses!

Age Groups:

10–17
18+

Learn More Here

Free Fridays

Our Free Fridays are back in action and there's a new session on the menu! Sign up for the Music Production Meet Up, Piano Club, and Sunburst Jams this month to get some extra time in!

Sunburst Producers Meet-Up | Ages 14+

This group meets on the 2nd Friday of every month from 7–9pm and is hosted by Sunburst music production instructor, Charlie Scott. Open to producers of all genres and experience levels, this event provides a space for both new and established music producers to meet, share works-in-progress, and receive feedback from peers. Participants are encouraged to bring music to share!

Piano Club with Jaime Cohen | Ages 8+

This group meets on the 3rd Friday of every month from 6:30–7:30, and it's a great opportunity for our piano students to dive deeper into music theory, enjoy interactive and educational games like Music Jeopardy, and gain performance experience!

Sunburst Jams | Kid and Adult Sessions

Join us for our monthly jam session on the 4th Friday of every month. The kids' session for ages 8 and up meets from 5:30–7:00 PM, followed by the adult session from 7:00–9:00 PM. Both sessions are very beginner-friendly, and the goal is to simply play music together, have fun, and maybe make some new friends along the way!

Sunburst Staff Recital Postponed

We wanted to inform you that, out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to postpone the upcoming staff recital due to an increase in illness among our staff. While we were looking forward to sharing this special event with you, the health and well-being of our students, families, and staff are our top priority.

Postponing the recital will allow time for everyone to recover and help prevent the further spread of illness within our Sunburst community. We are working on setting a new date and will share updates as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support. We look forward to celebrating with you soon, in good health and high spirits!

Thank You, Gabriel!

We’d like to take a moment to give a very special and well-earned thank you and congratulations to Gabriel Lavelle, who’s leaving the role of Program Manager at Sunburst and has been a member of our team for nearly 10 years! Over the years, Gabriel’s passion for music, education, and community have been an inspiration to all of us and a driving force behind the success of our school and our students. Gabriel began teaching drum set with us as a recent Music Therapy grad and then moved into the programming department in 2019. Since then, they’ve been studying UX design and are now looking to move into a career in the field. Fear not! Gabriel will still be around Sunburst in a part time design and marketing role, allowing them to stay involved with the school while working more directly in their chosen field. Thank you Gabriel for everything you’ve done for Sunburst and we all wish you the best on your new career journey!

House Band Show Announcement

The 2024 Sunburst House Band Finale Show will take place March 8th at The Haven! The Haven is an awesome new performance venue in Oakland started by some former Sunburst students/teachers. We will have more to announce as we get closer to the show, but for now we’d like everyone to save the date and get ready to cheer for the illustrious SBHB!

Wheel of Referrals Seasons III

The Wheel of Referrals is back for a brand new season with refreshed prizes! Refer your friends to Sunburst and spin the wheel to win - each spin also enters you to win the grand prize at the end of the season. The next one will be drawn at our Summer Recitals in June.

As we embark on the exciting Season III, we’d like to announce the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of season II:

(drum roll)

Teivan has won an awesome pair of noise cancelling headphones!

The next big winner could be you! Stay tuned next month for the announcement of the Season III Grand Prize. Read full details about the program on our website.

Program Details

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

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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.