Steph Jackson

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.