Steve Johnson has been a music educator for over 15 years. He didn’t start playing an instrument until he was a Freshman in high school, and quickly realized he had found his calling. Outside of school, Steve drinks copious amounts of coffee and writes his own songs.
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Hi, I’m Steve Johnson Jr. and I’ve been a music educator for over fifteen years. I didn’t start playing an instrument (bass guitar) until my freshman year of high school and quickly realized I had found my calling. The singular class that influenced my career path was “instrumental workshop,” a performance-based class for non-band/chorus instrumentalists. The repertoire consisted of classic rock and pop tunes, which certainly appealed to my developing music tastes. More importantly, I learned how to play in a group and read a lead sheet, two skills I use professionally.
My experiences as a musician are extremely varied and I try to bring this diversity into my teaching. My high school experience did not include traditional band and chorus and guided me toward a lifelong path to play in rock/pop/cover bands. In college, I played double bass in orchestras and wind ensembles, immersing myself in the “classical mindset.” Somewhere along the line, I discovered jazz, drastically changing my approach to playing and teaching music, embracing the art of improvisation. On top of all of this, my favorite band, of all time, is Megadeth, a reflection music’s power to elicit emotion and transmit energy. Every experience has left its mark on me as a human, all of which come through in my teaching, which can be summed up into my guiding philosophy: structure, practicality and improvisation driven by passion.
Outside of school, you can find me drinking copious amounts of coffee while writing my own songs and transcribing 60 years’ worth of pop music. Both of these activities help me to wind down and get back to the roots of my musical beginnings! I recently wrote a song about my new kitten, Maggie, named after Maggie Simpson.