Steph Jackson
I would love to support your community musical project while helping to build arrangements, friendships and performances that you are proud to be a part of.
Music is more than communication and connection; it is an experience that can never be recaptured or recreated, a moment in time and sound that binds us
I believe enjoyment in music comes from the intrinsic value of the music itself, not because it is similar to mathematics or teamwork, but because music is an essential element of the human experience. I will lift you up, build your confidence and set you up for success.
Phone
(250) 882 7702
Locations
North Vancouver, BC
Pender Island, BC
Social Media
Insta: stephjackson_music
Ain't No Sunshine
My Girl
Killing Me Softly
For What It's Worth
Fragile
Beat It
Chandelier
Let's Stay Together
Black Magic Woman
Use Me
Summertime
Dreams
Hello
Faith
Gimme One Reason
Natural Woman
How Sweet it Is
At Last
Listen to the Music
Sir Duke
Can't Hurry Love
Proud Mary
9 to 5
Message in a Bottle
Higher Love
Back to Black
The Winner Takes it All
These Boots are Made for Walking
Kiss
Stand By Me
I Will Survive
Happy Together
If I Ain't Got You
Just the Two of Us
What's Going On
Circle of Life
Lean on Me
Wrecking Ball
I Want You Back
Time After Time
Crazy Train
You Learn
Piece of My Heart
All About That Bass
Tennessee Whiskey
Throw it Away
Georgia
I would love to work with you
Arrangements for YOUR ensemble
I love to customize these for you and your group. I enjoy arranging in pop, folk, bluegrass and jazz styles for various instruments/voices.
Accompaniment for solo projects
I would love to work with you to make your project exactly the way you want it. I can easily adjust to your needs.
Choral Conducting
I enjoy working in the contemporary, classical, gospel and jazz genres.
Workshops and Camps
I especially enjoy 2-3 day transformative workshops and camps or workshop series. Music immersion changes lives!
Choral Accompaniment
I especially enjoy accompanying community choirs. With my ears on the group and my eyes on you I can elevate your ensemble.
Jazz and Concert Band
I can help your band members develop the skills they need to tackle the complex tunes they want to play.
Current Projects
Hayley Wallis
I am working with the Bright Futures Band supporting BC artist, Hayley Wallis. Her newly released song, Coffee Cup recently rose to #1 on the Sirius FM charts. She is part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation, originally from Klemtu. She sings for herself, for her children and for her people and hopes to set an example that will empower the young generation of her community to pursue their dreams. Check out her new releases at hayleywallismusic.com.
Pender Island Community Choir
Finally we are having a Choir concert this season. Our theme is Peace is the Way. We will share uplifting, bright choral music, the perfect remedy for these past two years without the chance to sing in harmony. We have fostered fierce friendships in this group over the years and it is wonderful to be back together. Sabrina Werbowski is directing the youth choir and I have the chance to accompany them as well.
Samuel Jones's Bright Future
Blending elements of jazz, soul, hip hop, improvisation, progressive and psychedelic rock, Sam creates colorful music that is uniquely his. He has travelled extensively and is one of the most prolific people I know, working around his day job as an astrophysicist he manages to write new music that just keeps getting better, groovier and more interesting. Check out Sam's work at samueljones.win.
24 Strings
Deborah Carter, Tim Charman and I play a diverse array of instantly recognizable music. From country to Rnb and everything in between, with three part harmony and a collection of instruments we have a lot of fun and there is always variety. Deb is engaging and our shows are always fun. 24strings.com
Spalding Rhodes Duo
Tim Charman and I busk and play acoustic sets together. I love singing in harmony with him and whenever possible, playing tiny instruments. Tim is a multi-instrumentalist and a great bass player, check out his work at timcharman.com
My Solo Work
Playing solo piano or guitar with or without vocals, I have a comfortable repertoire of over four hundred pop tunes and jazz standards that I enjoy. I have also recently played in trios and duos, working with diverse music in a variety of settings from dance band to piano bar.
Tim Johnson Quartet
I enjoy Tim's writing and I love playing his tunes. I enjoy his humour and playing his "gut busters" with "greasy" grooves. The laughs never stop. He plays really tasty lines. Some of my favourites are Worm Farm, Me and You, Emergence, La Playa Ganza and Warm Spring You.
Steph Jackson Quartet
With drums, bass and tenor saxophone we would love to come out and help with your next event. See above for some set lists. I love playing both guitar and piano, playing a combination of fusion, trad jazz in this format. I am loving playing with drums and stand up bass.
Hydrosonic
I am playing with my friend Gord in his band, Hydrosonic. We play jazz and jazz fusion with vocalist Nina, tenor saxophonist Rhonda and bassist Ken.
Recent Projects
Pender Island Jazz Band
I enjoyed working with these musicians from Pender island. With a full rhythm section, woodwinds and some brass they are dedicated musicians of all levels, most of them multi-instrumentalists. After my moving away from Pender they continue to play. You can hear them at community events and concerts.
Lauren Mann
Lauren Mann is a musician, song writer and creative director from Pender Island, BC. I recently worked with her on a tour across Canada and in some of the recordings on her latest album, Memory and Desire. Check out her music at laurenmannmusic.com.
Brett Creemer
I continue to sub in and support Brett in a variety of contexts including his new project, Letters & Text and Bonfire Ballerina. Brett writes quirky, beautiful music and plays gypsy jazz and pop, always arranged to surprise and delight. Brett is always musical and endlessly entertaining.
Welcome
I want to encourage in others a deep, intrinsic love of music, to encourage understanding between peoples and musics and to instil a love of learning and enthusiasm for holistic musicianship. I believe in learning musics in cultural contexts and in setting students and ensemble participants up for success through positive performance experiences.
Music speaks directly to the amygdala, the emotional centre of the brain, and is able to communicate more clearly in the spiritual and emotional language than words in any tongue. We have a shared human experience and unlike the other arts that are made to be looked at, music pulls us in and brings us all together for a fleeting moment which may be, just may be enough to change hearts and minds.
I have been leading and coaching music for over twenty-five years from lessons to summer camps and K-12 school settings. I hold two post-graduate degrees in music education with a major in jazz studies on guitar. I will always learn and grow my credentials and experience. My focus has been mainly on jazz guitar, piano accompaniment, band and choral ensembles. I especially enjoy local and world musics, collaborating to develop greater musical, spiritual and cultural understandings that break down walls and bring communities together.
Musical Services
Arranging
I customize arrangements for unique ensembles. If you can't find the arrangement you are looking for I can help you. I especially enjoy arranging in jazz and contemporary idioms. I love arranging for choral and instrumental ensembles at all levels, considering the unique needs of your group.
Performance
I enjoy supporting roles where I can use my ear to respond to you in the moment, fill in spaces and create the feel that you want. I am comfortable improvising and sight reading on piano and guitar and have a working playing knowledge of several other instruments in the strings, percussion, woodwind and brass families.
Conducting
I deeply value my work with a variety of choral ensembles, auditioned and community choirs. I welcome new experiences with different groups. I enjoy the expressive qualities of the human voice, across genres from classical to contemporary classical, jazz and gospel.
Workshops
I love hosting workshops focused on approaching improvisation on standard tunes, jazz analysis and playing lines by thinking harmonically rather than being locked into patterns. I love customizing workshop content for your band or ensemble in my Pender studio, North Vancouver or in your choice of venue. Contact me to inquire about small group vocal workshops ongoing and occasional large group instrumental workshops.
Private Lessons
You can learn what you need to play the songs YOU want. Whatever your goal I can make a clear, straight path through the skills and techniques you will need to acquire to get there on piano, guitar or voice. I especially enjoy working with classical and contemporary piano, jazz guitar and voice in all styles. I am not taking students now but have some great recommendations for teachers if you are interested.
Accompanying
I love accompanying choirs and small ensembles. I enjoy leading sectional practices and supporting vocal communities. I would love to work with your ensemble and make you sound great!