Today I’m re-releasing this amazing episode with musician Rebecca Jackson.

Rebecca grew up in a family of self-taught artists, with diverse backgrounds – the intersection of Midwestern fiddle jams and South Korean karaoke. 

Music has given Rebecca a lot over the years, and now she is using music as a tool to give back as co-founder of Sound Impact, a collective of musicians dedicated to serving communities and igniting positive change in the U.S. and abroad through live performances, educational programs, and creative collaborations.

Rebecca is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Music in May, an annual festival serving the Santa Cruz community with chamber music, and a violinist with the Ensemble in San Francisco, a collective of talented Bay Area musicians who make chamber music hip again.

Learning to play music taught Rebecca many valuable lessons as a child, all of which helped her get to where she is today:

• Humility. “You never stop growing. You always have something more to learn.”
• Teamwork. “You’re not the only voice and you have to learn to play together to create a collective, beautiful sound.”
• Perseverance. “Because some days are tough and you just have to keep on going, and trust the process and your teacher.”
• Communication. Learning to have a stage presence teaches both verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
• Mentorship. The student-teacher relationship is really important in learning music, and it’s a good introduction to the idea that there’s always someone to learn from.

Sound Impact

Rebecca co-founded Sound Impact because she believes music is an incredibly powerful tool for changing, healing, and uniting communities. It’s so much more than notes on a page – it’s capable of bridging nationalities, religions, and ideologies.

Rebecca has used music to honor Holocaust survivors, unite refugees, and empower children. She’s very much creating a positive Sound Impact in communities all around the world.

Below you can watch a video of Sound Impact playing “Haim” by Polina Nazaykinskaya. Rebecca commissioned this piece to remember the incredible life of David Arden, the sole survivor of his family during the holocaust and one of Rebecca’s mentors.

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