Show up and play: Non-traditional youth symphony at Community Center
A. Fiddle-Hooper, a.k.a. Butterfly, of the Sonoma Alternative Symphony for Youth brings music and life lessons to Sebastopol teens

Beautiful music filled the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center’s gymnasium on a recent Tuesday evening, when the Sonoma Alternative Symphony for Youth (SASY) class met in its new location for the second time. Three students and their award-winning music instructor, A. Fiddle-Hooper, a.k.a. Butterfly, sat on chairs in a loose circle for two hours, alternately discussing and playing the music they were working on.
“I started SASY Sonoma Alternative Symphony for Youth in March of 2022 at the Sonoma Community Center, and my intention was to include all of Sonoma County,” Fiddle-Hooper said, “so I also came over on this side of the hill so that we could have programs here. We’ve developed as we’ve grown over the last two years, and [now] we’re partnering with Sebastopol Community Center.”
The class now meets at the center Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m, through April 16. The sliding-scale fee for the entire 10-week program is $60-$250.
Ruby, 15, began attending SASY as an extracurricular activity. “I do singing,” she said. “I sang for a long time with a choir … but I took a long break so I’m kind of just getting back into it.”
Beside her sat Lily, 15, who plays guitar and sings, and has attended SASY classes for a year. She’s been making music for three years, since she taught herself to play during COVID.
“I actually got my first guitar for seven bucks at a garage sale,” she said.
Fiddle-Hooper has been “doing” music for 43 years, since the age of 8.
“What inspired me to become a musician was a music program that came around to my school,” said Fiddle-Hooper, who uses the pronoun they. “We were given the opportunity to play violins [and] cellos, and when I got the violin, it was like a lightning bolt that hit me. And I knew what I was supposed to do for the rest of my life.”
Fiddle-Hooper has played music ever since, and taught it in Europe, India, Japan and the United States—19 countries in all—during their travels over the past 35 years. They have also performed professionally, usually solo, in all 50 states, and continue to teach private lessons.
Per Fiddle-Hooper’s promotional flier, SASY is a fun and creative Sonoma County music education program for musicians, ages 12-18, interested in learning, composing, playing and being collaborative with modern music in a “non-traditional symphony.”
Participants play all genres of music less than 50 years old, learning how to adapt pieces for their own instruments as well as how to compose, create and share their original music both as individuals and as a symphonic group.
Fiddle-Hooper and Tanya Sierra, programs and events manager at Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, worked together to bring the class to fruition.
“Something I’ve been wanting to do is create more in-house programming, especially for our youth,” Sierra said. Meeting Fiddle-Hooper created the perfect opportunity to make it happen.
Thad, 17, has played piano for about 10 years and been involved with SASY for about a year.
“I found out about this program from my old piano teacher,” he said. His favorite aspect of the program? “You get to be creative, but you also get to be pushed.”

“If you want to take your musical journey to the next step, do this,” he continued. “You’re working with other people, and that’s the big thing. When you’re working by yourself, it’s good. But to be able to get feedback from other people and be able to work with other people’s suggestions and apply that to your music is really important.”
Fiddle-Hooper’s experience as a traveling musician has taught them some important lessons. Case in point: After spending two unsuccessful years trying to book gigs for their 19-country tour some years ago, Fiddle-Hooper finally embarked on the international trip without a schedule.
Upon arriving in Europe they began attending open mics, gigs and festivals, where they played the violin. This resulted in invitations to play gigs and play in bands, meetings with strangers who later became their manager and booked them extended tours; even a two-week appearance in a nationally syndicated Japanese TV show called Why Japan.
“So my motto is show up, play and then it all takes care of itself,” Fiddle-Hooper said. “And that’s what I’m trying to teach [my students], is ‘show up playing.’ Play your favorite songs. Write your own music. Do all the things.”
Sonoma Alternative Symphony for Youth (SASY) meets at the Sebastopol Community Center classes on Tuesdays, from 5-7pm. Please contact Tanya Sierra at (707) 823-1511 or www.seb.org to register online.