Rebecca Conner
Rebecca (she/her) holds a degree in music from the University of Oregon. She has over a decade of experience performing live and touring internationally, including as the front-woman of High Step Society, a band that played for crowds of thousands. She plays many styles, from bossa nova to pop. Lessons with Rebecca are individually catered to help build confidence and challenge students to grow in whatever direction they want to go.
What age were you when you first started taking music lessons?
8 years old.
Tell us about an early music lessons experience that helped shape you as a musician or teacher:
When I was learning the song “The Sound of Music” was in a major scale, my whole world changed. Learning that music was created from either a major or minor scale simplified things for me. All I had to do was learn two scales and I could figure out almost any song. It was around that time that I also discovered an app that would slow down any song enough for me to learn it. My goal was always to write my own music, but being able to learn other people’s music gave me a vocabulary to write with.
What are your favorite bands or musicians?
Neo Soul: Emily Kind, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Mereba. R&B and Soul: Bill Withers, Sam Cook, Sly and the Family Stone, Brandy, Sade. Jazz: Chet Baker, Esperanza Spalding. Folk and Rock: Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Tool, Jimi Hendrix. World Music: Fela Kuti, Tinariwen, Ebo Taylor. (To name a few).
Do you have a highlight of your music career so far that you would like to share?
Playing at The Crystal Ballroom twice in a year.
Describe your ideal student.
My ideal student is someone who is potentially interested in learning about theory, learning lead/electric guitar or improvisation, learning to sing and play at the same time, learning rhythm guitar, or expanding their vocal abilities. I love students of all ages, especially girls, women, non-binary and trans folks.
Describe what your students should expect in their first few music lessons.
In the first few lessons, we’ll be seeing what level you’re at and what your goals are. We’ll identify your strengths and areas of challenge so that we can find material that’s best suited for your growth. It’s very important to me that we get playing as soon as possible and find what excites you about music. It’s important to learn songs, scales, rhythm, and how they all work together.
Why did you want to become a music teacher?
Music has profoundly changed my life. It has gotten me through so many struggles, given me a creative outlet to process hard emotions, and provided me with hope when I had none. I recognize its potential to heal, and want to give that same tool to others.
Hi Rebecca,
I used to take lessons at MGS, and am looking to get back at it. Looking at the teacher bios, I was immediately drawn to you because of your music taste. So far, I play acoustic guitar only, but I have an electric and am interested in venturing into that. I am also a singer. I have always loved singing, and taught myself to play guitar about eight years ago, but still have SO much to learn, and know very little music theory. I have only ever taken lessons for a few months, so I’m still new to that.
Let me know if we could be a fit, and if you have space right now to take in a new student. I’m actually not in Portland currently, so it would need to be remote for now 🙂
Thank you so much, and I look forward to hearing from you.