Sunburst News - September 2025

September 1, 2025

September- Issue #97

IN THIS ISSUE:

All Together Now! Music Festival 🎶
Band Program Blog 🎸
Community Drum Circle 🥁
Free Classes 🎹
New Instructors 🎤
School Closure Reminder 🗓

All Together Now! Sunburst Community Benefit Concert - 8/8
All Together Now! Songwriter Night - 8/9
Piano Club - 8/15
Sunburst Jams - 8/22
Drum Circle - 8/23
Squirrel Hill Night Market - 8/23
Songwriter Group Share - 8/31
Labor Day Closure - 9/1

New Band Program Students Receive 50% Off!

If you've been wanting to play in a band, now's your chance! New students who enroll in the Sunburst Band Program during September will receive 50% off for the month!

What is the Sunburst Band Program?

The Sunburst Band Program gives our students real band experience with weekly rehearsals and live performances. Students learn to collaborate, build set lists, create band identities, and perform at local events, all while honing their musicianship skills.

What to Expect:
-Engaging weekly rehearsals
-Guidance from our specialized band coaches
-Performance opportunities at local venues and events throughout the year

Ages 8-17 Adults 18+

2026 House Band

We’re excited to announce the next season of the Sunburst House Band!

The House Band is our all-star group of students 10–17 who are looking to take their playing and performing to the max! Starting with auditions on October 3rd, the 2026 House Band will meet every Friday from October through June. House Band students will perform a set at our Winter and Spring Band Program Showcases, as well as some special shows of their own throughout the year, in addition to opportunities like recording studio time, radio appearances, and more.

To be eligible for House Band auditions, students must be between the ages 10–17 and currently enrolled in lessons or one of our other programs. Once accepted, House Band participation is FREE for students who are also in a Sunburst Band Program Group; otherwise, it’s the same cost as the band program.

2026 House Band Auditions will be held Friday, October 3rd between 5-7pm. If you want to participate but can’t make that date, let us know and we’ll set up a private audition.

Good luck and thanks for being a part of the Sunburst House Band audition!

Music Together Enrolling Now!

Enrollment is open for our Fall 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!

Herbie Hancock Tribute featuring the Thanakarn Limtham Quartet

Join us on October 18 for a tribute to the legendary Herbie Hancock! The Thanakarn Limtham Quartet will perform some of his most iconic songs, featuring Thanakarn Limtham on keys, Adam Khalil on guitar, Charlie Scott on bass, and Stephen Weinstein on drums. Don’t miss it!

Location: Sunburst School of Music

Date: Saturday, October 18th | Time: 7pm

Tickets: $15 Presale | $20 Day of Show

Tickets

All Together Now Recap

Last month, Sunburst was honored to host two unforgettable nights of music as part of the All Together Now festival. Thanks to the incredible energy and generosity from the bands, volunteers, venues, and over 1200 attendees, including our staff and families at Sunburst, we helped raise over $50,000 in support of the Collaborative for Immigrant Impact. Thanks again to everyone for their support!

Community Drum Circle with Matt Price

Join Matt Price at 3 Rivers Outdoor Company on September 20th for a community drum circle. This is a free event for all ages. Instruments are provided too!

In case of rain or heat advisory this event will be held here at Sunburst!

New Button

Want to know when our free classes are happening? Check out the graphic above for all the options. For more details and to sign up, click the link below. Everyone’s welcome!

Welcome Aaron Karsh to Sunburst

We’re excited to welcome Aaron Karsh to the Sunburst team! Aaron is a musician, music producer, and educator specializing in hip-hop and R&B. With over six years of teaching experience, he is passionate about helping students grow as musicians while continuing to expand his own creative work. Aaron has collaborated with artists and companies such as Paramount+, BET, Showtime, Rich The Kid, Futuristic, PLAYY, La Fleur, Fedd the God, and many more.

Aaron will be teaching multiple instruments and leading our band program on Saturdays. We can’t wait for our students to learn, create, and jam with him!

Staff Spotlight: Congratulations to Mike Stolarz

We’re excited to share that Mike Stolarz is stepping into a new role as a Drum and Guitar Instructor here at Sunburst! Many of you may already know Mike from his work as a substitute instructor, front desk team member, and summer camp assistant over the summer. A Sunburst alum himself, Mike is a multi-instrumentalist with over a decade of experience performing, recording, touring, and writing with various bands and artists across Western PA, as well as teaching private drum lessons.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Mike is also a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and previously worked in the mental health and social work field before following his true passion in music education. He couldn’t be more excited to share his love for music with our students and families. Please join us in congratulating Mike on this well-deserved promotion!

School Closure Reminder

Sunburst will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 1. 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.

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

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.

Sunburst News - September 2025