Newsletters are sent to Sound House Citizens monthly via email. For your reference, the most recent newsletter will always be available on this page. ♥

This is the Sound House Newsletter, a monthly publication of important information for members of the Sound House community. Please read and respond!

XMAS JAM & SINGALONG XMAS JAM & SINGALONG

Damian and I will be watching Niamh Kierans perform in Charlottesville on December 6, so we won’t be around to watch the Remington Christmas Parade with you all as usual. Instead, we are hosting a festive jam session and singalong party at Sound House on Friday, December 12, 6:00-8:00 PM. Help us fill the studio with friends and holiday music by bringing your singing voices and acoustic instruments (cases may end up on the back porch during our event). I’m preparing booklets of lyrics and chords that we can share instead of fussing with phones and mismatched lead sheets. I expect that the space will be packed to capacity, so we’ll probably skip food and drinks to prevent accidents. Please email or DM to RSVP. 

HOLIDAY PLANS HOLIDAY PLANS

• Christmas // Sound House will be closed December 24-26. 

• New Year // Sound House will be closed December 31-January 1. 

Biweekly students affected by these closures: Brooklynn, Sarah, Bec, Olivia J., Ishy, Travis

Q: Why are biweekly students prioritized here? A: When biweekly students miss a lesson, they end up going a whole month without studio time.

Availability for rescheduling lessons:

Thurs. 12/11, 7:15-8:15 PM

Mon. 12/22, 3:45-4:15 PM

Mon. 12/29, 2:45-3:45 PM

Mon. 12/29, 4:15-4:45 PM

Mon. 12/29, 7:30-8:30 PM

Wed. 1/7, 2:45-3:45 PM

Wed. 1/7, 8:00-9:00 PM

Thurs. 1/8, 7:15-8:15 PM

Other cancellations: If you plan to miss a lesson on a date other than those that the studio is already closed, please email me as soon as possible. Advanced notice helps me keep the studio running efficiently during these upcoming months of festivity and scheduling upheaval. 

OPENINGS OPENINGS 

• 7:15-8:15 PM bi-weekly on Thursdays, beginning January 8

It’s always good to welcome friends-of-friends into the Sound House community. If someone you know may be interested, please encourage them to fill out a signup form at SoundHouseVA.com/signup.

ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE

To make progress with your studies and projects, you’ve gotta show up consistently. Our monthly attendance rate is a way for us to measure that consistency. The goal is to collectively maintain at least a 90% attendance rate each month. 2025 monthly attendance rates so far: Jan 92.79%, Feb 88.78%, March 90.00%, April 90.82%, May 96.91%, June 89.47%, July 85.32%, Aug 91.09%, Sept 92.71%, Oct 90.60%, and Nov 92.17%.

NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC 

Weird Holiday will release their newest single “Prince George” on December 6. StriVe will release their newest single “Skull and Bones” on December 13. Check out all of our Sound House community releases on the new Community Music page of the website.

Sneak peek of StriVe’s new cover art

Sneak peek of Weird Holiday’s new cover art

WEIRD HOLIDAYS WEIRD HOLIDAYS

The holidays can be weird. If you’re alone for Christmas this year and don’t want to be, please email or DM me. Damian and I would love to have you join our little chosen family of misfits for an evening. We’ll eat a good meal, play games, and listen to music. You can get cozy in our space and trust us to look out for you. I’ve been doing weird holidays for a long time, and at this point, I think they can be even better than the “normal” ones if you’ve got the right people around you. We’re not religious and we don’t do traditional gift-giving, so there will be no pressure to do any sort of ritual or awkward exchange. I’m so serious about this: You’re welcome, and we’d love to host you. It’s genuinely a joy for us to get to share the peace and love we’ve built together.