Sunburst News - May 2026

May 1, 2026

May 2026 - Issue #105

IN THIS ISSUE:

Recital Signups 🎤
Sunburst Band Showcase 🎸
Spring Break Camp Recap 🥁
Summer Policy Reminder ☀️
Sunburst Cabaret ✨
Free Classes 🎹
School Closure Reminder 📅

IMPORTANT DATES

Piano Club - 5/8
Squirrel Hill Wine Walk - 5/9
Sunburst Cabaret - 5/15
Songwriter Group Share - 5/17
Jazz Jam - 5/22
Memorial Day Closure - 5/25
Recitals at the JCC - 6/6-6/7
Recitals at Sunburst - 6/12-6/13
Sunburst Band Showcase -
6/14

Sign Up for Summer Recitals

We are super excited to announce that our 2026 Summer Recitals will be held at the JCC in the Katz Performing Arts Center on June 6th and 7th! These events are our favorite time of the year when we encourage each of our students to share their progress on stage.

Each teacher has been assigned to an hour-long block, with some teachers having their own session, and some teachers with lighter loads sharing the hour. Students can sign up to perform during their instructor’s designated session. There are a few teachers whose sessions will be held on June 12th–13th here at Sunburst. If you can’t make your instructor's session, let us know! We’ll find a slot so you can still perform.

Participation is free but there is an option both online while signing up and in-person to donate to the Sunburst Music Scholarship Fund, our charitable program that allows kids to take lessons for free. We appreciate your support!

Finally, adults are welcome to join the regular session with their instructors, or they can join the BYOB adults-only session on June 12th from 7-9pm here at Sunburst. We look forward to seeing your performances!

Sunburst Band Program Showcase on June 14th

The Sunburst Band Program will take the stage at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls for their Summer Showcase on June 14th at 4pm. These bands have been prepping their own curated sets of covers and originals, and we can't wait to hear them do their thing! This show's lineup features the Sunburst House Band, Radio Nemo, the Mega Sea Cows, and more!

Spring Break Camp Recap

Spring Break Camp was a success! Our campers spent the week learning how to play in a band and put on a killer concert at the end of the week. Shout out to our amazing campers and teachers for making this camp happen. Can't wait to see y'all at camp this summer!

Summer Policy Reminder

We understand that summer schedules can be unpredictable, and that’s why we’d like to offer you even more flexibility with your lessons. This summer, you can cancel up to 4 lessons between June and August for tuition credit.

How it works: Let the front desk know when you’d like to cancel a lesson and use a summer cancelation by the 25th of the month prior to the cancelation. We’ll mark it as a summer cancellation and apply a tuition credit to your account for the next available bill.

If the request is made after the 25th, the tuition credit will be applied to the following month instead of the upcoming billing cycle. Please note that no refunds will be issued.

Reminder about our regular makeup policy: Our standard makeup policy is still in place. If you cancel a lesson at least 24 hours in advance, you will receive a makeup pass to reschedule that lesson. Makeup passes and summer cancellations are two separate options.

A makeup pass allows you to reschedule your lesson.
A summer cancellation provides a tuition credit instead of a rescheduled lesson.

Please reach out to our team if you have any questions about scheduling or cancellations, and we’ll be happy to help!

Sunburst Cabaret: Dreams Come True on May 15th

The next Sunburst Cabaret is happening on Friday, May 15th at 7pm. The theme of this variety show is Dreams Come True featuring the music of Disney, so come and enjoy selections from your favorite Disney movies!

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.

Date: Friday, May 15th
Time: 7pm

Get Tickets

Free Classes this Month

Piano Club - Friday, May 8th

Piano Club will be held one week early this month on May 8th. It is a free monthly class led by Jaime Cohen, full of games, music education, and piano fun! This club is a great opportunity for our piano students to build music theory skills, play interactive games like Music Jeopardy, and gain performance experience.

Age Groups

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

Songwriter Group Share - Sunday, May 17th

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+ and meets on the third Sunday of each month from 3–5pm.

Jazz Jam - Friday, May 22nd

You’re invited to the Sunburst Jazz Jam Session for ages 14–adults! Whether you’re a total beginner, an experienced pro, or a music lover who just wants to listen, this space is for everyone to have fun, grow, and connect through music. This group will meet every 4th Friday from 7–9pm.

If you'd like to play, please review our provided list of jazz standards. Anyone is welcome to join in, but we ask that those taking the stage familiarize themselves with at least one tune from the list.

What to Prepare

At least one song from this list

School Closure Reminder

Sunburst will be closed on Memorial Day, May 25. 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 Memorial Day!