Sound House

We lit up the night with our Little Free Pantry Benefit Concert featuring White Wall and The Sunstones. Over 120 guests attended and donated so much food that members of Re*****on United Methodist Church had to bring over a wagon to help haul it over to their pantry storage space. Re*****on Community Garden organizers expressed gratitude and relief that the pantry was so fully restocked.

Between the collective generosity, the stellar outcome of improvised lighting, literally the best weather possible, two sets of kick-butt songs from two kick-butt bands, and a communal rush of ecstatic movement from an enthusiastic crowd, this night represented everything we’re trying to do here at Sound House. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to the success of the Little Free Pantry Benefit Concert. I’m proud of our Sound House community.

Sound House, The Sunstones, and White Wall want to help the kind folks feeding our community! So here's the deal: We're going to bring goodies for The Little Free Pantry AND we're going to put on a ✨FREE concert✨ at the Re*****on Community Garden on Friday, September 29th. All you have to do is show up with pantry items from the list below and stick around for a night of good music, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Right now, the program's biggest needs are:
🐟 Proteins like peanut butter, eggs, and canned meat (tuna, salmon, corned beef, beef stew)
🍎 Healthy kids snacks
🍲 Soups
🥣 Cereal
🧻 Toiletries like soap, shampoo, deodorant, tampons, pads, toilet paper, and toothpaste

Today, these music friends finished tracking vocals for their first co-write, a song all about how understanding and sharing your emotions can help you feel better!

"I want you to know that / you can tell us how you feel / so that we can help you out / so that we can help you heal"

We'll be closed for Labor Day on September 4th. Monday students should check their email for information regarding rescheduling. Most of you already have! Thanks for your prompt communication.

Save the date! On Friday September 29th, we're hosting a benefit concert featuring The Sunstones () and White Wall (). Plan to join us at the Re*****on Community Gardens to help stock up the local free food pantry. Full details are still in the works, so stay tuned. 💌

Tonight was Deuce's last night teaching Landon here at Sound House! They started working together just over a year ago on July 12, 2022. The second photo - from August 2022 - shows just how much Landon has grown during his time with Deuce.

We jammed tonight to celebrate this little stretch of time where our lives have overlapped. It was absolutely joyful for me to hear them collaborating and creating on the spot. We got into a couple of grooves together and let loose toward the end in a fireworks grand finale of explosive drum fills and chaotic chromatic dissonance. It was great.

I am SO PROUD of these two. Deuce has developed himself so much as a musician, as a teacher, and as a young man, and he's uplifted Landon alongside him. Now Deuce is off to VCU to study music, and Landon and I will be cheering him on from back here at Sound House.

Sound House news 🗞️

1. Remember that the studio is closed June 14-18, Wednesday through Sunday of this week. Check the studio calendar to confirm your rescheduled sessions.

2. Sydney and I are working with illustrator Damian Martin on new merch! (Yes, the Damian Martin who is my spouse.) Get ready for custom, hand-printed Sydney x Sound House goodies coming soon(ish).

3. The Adults Are Jamming is happening on June 23, 5:00-7:00 PM. Musicians of all skill levels aged 21+ are welcomed to come share songs, jam, and hang out at the studio. Email [email protected] to RSVP.

Multi-instrumentalist Deuce Stith has committed to VCU's music program! He's been a part of our community since he joined in January of 2022. On Saturday at the Sound House Showcase, you can catch his band live and congratulate him for graduating high school and heading off to college.

Last July, Deuce got further involved with our music school by taking on Landon Allen as a drum student. Landon will also be playing on Saturday with , his first performance ever.

Thanks for being a part of Sound House, Deuce! I'm so happy for you and can't wait to watch your story develop!

Multi-instrumentalist Deuce Stith has committed to VCU's music program! He's been a part of our community since he joined @thesunstonesband in January of 2022. On Saturday at the Sound House Showcase, you can catch his band live and congratulate him for graduating high school and heading off to college. Last July, Deuce got further involved with our music school by taking on Landon Allen as a drum student. Landon will also be playing on Saturday with @zero_band_official_, his first performance ever. Thanks for being a part of Sound House, Deuce! I'm so happy for you and can't wait to watch your story develop! #remingtonva #culpeperva #fauquiercounty #soundhouseva #musicstudio #musicschool #vcu #vcumusic

Hello, friends!

Our Sound House Showcase, initially scheduled for Sunday, April 30th, has been moved to Saturday, May 13th. Join us at the Re*****on Community Garden for an evening of music and community.

Read more about the event here: https://soundhouseva.com/2023/04/06/2023-sound-house-showcase/

This band has been in a bit of a nebulous stage for a few months due to busy schedules. But this evening, we pulled it all together again for a pre-showcase rehearsal. Maybe Chaos band members (left to right): Ella on bass, Noah on guitar/drums/vocals, Will on guitar/drums/vocals, and Jack on guitar/lead vocals.

Thanks to for this snapshot of the band!

This is the final week of practice before so many of the musicians who study here at Sound House get on stage for the FIRST TIME EVER to perform at our showcase.

Zero really is the poster child for pulling a band out of nowhere just weeks before a show. Band leader Wes Garrett has been dutifully seeking bandmates for a year, and within the past month, he suddenly summoned a bassist and TWO drummers. You can follow their band at .

I'm so, so proud of Isabel! She has committed to UCLA's music school and will be off to California to study later this year.

Isabel shared with me that her college application letter was about a time when I challenged her to try to write a happy/comforting song instead of one of her usual sad girl jams. There's nothing wrong with sad girl jams; but sometimes it's good to feed your soul a little something different. She ended up writing one of her favorite original songs, "Level of Your Eye" (which we got to perform together just a few weeks ago).

It's such an honor to get to contribute to the work of my students, to guide them with love. And it's such a joy to see them succeed like Isabel has!

Congratulations, Isabel! You're beloved here at Sound House. 💙

The Sound House Showcase lineup has been finalized! Visit the link below for your full showcase guide.

✔️ You can read the lineup and tentative program.

✔️ You can download your own PDF copy of the poster and print as many flyers as you want.

✔️ You can read about all of the help we need and sign up to join the team that makes this showcase happen.

✔️ You can donate $5 or more to help us cover the expenses of putting on this free event.

Thanks for being a part of the Sound House Community! I appreciate each of you.

2023 Sound House Showcase We’re preparing for our second-ever Sound House Showcase, an outdoors live music event featuring members of our community!

Our little red maple tree is leafy again! Parents are welcome to take a chair off the porch and sit in the shade during their kid's lessons.

Also, our sign - designed by Maddi and built by - is still looking as nice as it did when we first installed it!

Sign ups are now open for the 2023 Sound House Showcase!

If you're a student at Sound House, you can now register to perform by filling out the form sent to you via email. The sign-up deadline is next Friday, April 7th at 5:00 PM, but I'd fill out the form ASAP if I were you.

If you're not sure about what songs you're performing and with whom, don't worry; just answer the form questions to the best of your ability. We'll start hammering down details together during your next session.

Our resident music fan and professional skeleton Sydney is all dressed up for the Easter holiday. She's channeling her inner spring goddess with bunny ears and cute pastels. Hopefully the real Easter bunny will visit her early so that she can give out treasure eggs to our visitors! 🐇🥚

There's a new band in town...

Guitarist Wes brought in his buddy Homer to sing and play bass and drafted new Sound House community member Jaedon to join them on drums. The result is Zero, a fledgling rock band hellbent on shredding off into a burning sunset.

Our guy Jack is Prince Charming 🤴 in Taylor Middle School's presentation of Cinderella!

Catch one of these shows to see him sing, dance, and be his charming self:
Friday, 4/28 at 7:00 PM
Saturday, 4/29 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, 4/30 at 2:00 PM

Look around our studio space; it's always clean, organized, bright, and welcoming.

Studio Tour Look around our studio space; it’s always clean, organized, bright, and welcoming.

Virtual Workshop: How To Get Gigging
Friday, March 31st
4:30-6:00 PM
$20

Sound House owner Maddi Mae has performed 550+ shows over the past half decade, all booked and handled independently. On Friday 3/31, 4:30-6:00 PM, she’ll be hosting a virtual workshop via Zoom to help participants learn to prepare for, book, and perform shows.

This presentation covers open mics, multi-band bills, and solo shows. Learn about building a setlist, preparing an electronic press kit, researching and reaching out to venues, creating stage plots, filling out W-9s, promoting events, and so much more. You’ll be given access to a slideshow dense with information and a printable companion guide to fill out during the presentation portion of the workshop.

Everyone is welcomed to participate in this virtual workshop via Zoom. Please feel free to invite interested colleagues. RSVP via email to [email protected]. The cost of participating is $20, to be paid before the workshop; see all payment options at SoundHouseVA.com/pay. There must be a minimum of five participants signed up beforehand.

We love a good pair of back-to-back sibling students here at Sound House! 💚

Little brother Ted is learning to read music and play the guitar. Older sister Jamie is learning to read music, play the guitar, sing, and produce recordings. He sometimes refers to her as "the child of darkness." She sometimes refers to him as "hmm."

Great night at Sound House thanks to another successful teen networking event!

Jaina won Hipster Olympics with a perfect score. Jack won the Awful Band Name Bracket and performed his original song "Down Below the Mountain Top." Jaedon and Cole led an old man dance circle while Beyond Your Body ft. Wes played a cover of "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. The Sunstones performed Julianne's original song "Skipping Seasons" with Noah on drums. Alix was brave enough to perform first; Fiona and Anna were brave enough to perform as new community members.

I'm so happy to provide a welcoming space for these musicians to grow together. 💚

Congratulations to Sound House community members Jaina and Julianne for winning second place in the Voice of Fauquier competition last week! We're so proud of you both. 🖤

Follow their duo project for more music from these two best friends and bandmates.

Teen meetup at Sound House next Friday 3/10, 4:30-6:30 PM. Activities to include the hipster olympics, a song circle, the awful band names bracket, and an info swap.

This event is for Sound House members ages 13-19. RSVP ASAP for planning purposes. Friends of members are welcomed as long as we have room available.

More details at SoundHouseVa.com.

We've recently added Sydney-approved mood lighting to facilitate flow state here in the studio. Stoked to have picked up these nice lamps for cheap on FB marketplace.

What does your creative space look like? What little modifications have you made to help set the scene and get you in the zone?

Caught a great show by and at this past Thursday with Ella.

Dawes is a polished entertainer who knows how to integrate comedy and audience interaction into a next level performance. His guitar work is impressive - creative and pristine. Hall's rich chords and soothing compositions create a peaceful ambience that reminded us of an ice cave nature documentary soundtrack (the kalimba definitely added to this vibe).

Thanks to Ella's grandpa for the tickets!

P.S. We also ran into of . Check out her work and show some love!

Jaina was ready to branch out from her fretless, so she bought this classic style Oscar Schmidt bass. I LOVE when a young musician buys their own instrument; the personal investment adds such a deep layer of connection to making music. Nice work, Jaina!

I didn't know anything about this brand before, but it's got a pretty cool history:

"The Oscar Schmidt Company was founded in 1871 and incorporated in 1911. By the early 1900s, the company had five factories in Europe and a factory on Ferry Street in Jersey City. They made all kinds of stringed instruments: guitars, banjos, mandolins, ukuleles, zithers, and Autoharps®.

The company prospered through the early 1920s. Oscar Schmidt instruments were sold in many rural parts of the country where no music stores existed. Salesmen distributed the products far and wide, making them available in general, small town furniture, and dry goods stores. Country guitar pickers and blues musicians living in areas of the South and in Appalachia, far from the city, frequently played Oscar Schmidt instruments because they were both inexpensive and available locally. But equally important, they were often chosen solely on merits of their superior tone and volume.

Today at Oscar Schmidt, premium woods, quality hardware, and modest prices create an ideal instrument. Each is inspected and adjusted in the USA by a skilled technician, your assurance for smooth fret ends, precision low action and resonant sound quality."

Community members, check your email inbox for the February Sound House Newsletter. This issue includes attendance data, important reminders, helpful links, and guidance for improving your practice habits.

You can also visit the Newsletter page on SoundHouseVA.com to access this information.

Happy 15th birthday to Ella! To celebrate, she got her band together for a 2.5 hour guided rehearsal at the studio. Then they walked over to Craft & Crust for a pizza dinner.

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