Skillr Profile: Rebecca Jensen Uesugi
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi is a singer, songwriter and actor sharing her talent and expertise with people on the SKILLR App. She spoke with us about why she prioritizes learning and curiosity, how her passion for music developed and common challenges people run into when learning music.
Alexa Goins: Can you tell me your name, your pronouns, and what you do on SKILLR?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Sure. My name is Rebecca Jensen Uesugi. My pronouns are she, her and I am a singer, songwriter and actor on SKILLR.
Alexa Goins: Awesome. And how'd you get into your field?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Well, I've always been involved in music and acting even from as early as like five, six years old. I was always putting on little plays and writing music on the piano. I picked up guitar when I was about 13, 14, and I've always had a passion for the arts. And just in the last couple years I decided this is actually what I want to do professionally, and I just decided to go for it.
Alexa Goins: And what does a typical day look like in your profession?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Well, it really varies depending on the projects I'm working on, whether I'm doing something music related or acting, I usually try to spend at least 30 to 60 minutes a day just practicing like my technical skills. So when I'm doing piano, I do scales, warmups, vocal stuff. I do a lot of high and low things to work at my range. Let's see for acting, I guess it really depends on the day, but sometimes I like to host these actor workouts on, well, it's kind of like Zoom, but it's called Discord. I don't know if you're familiar with it, but I hold these actor workouts on Discord and just sometimes I will take classes too. So I'm always improving as an artist.
Alexa Goins: What's one thing you want seekers to know about you?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Gosh, I guess one thing I'd like them to know is just that it's okay to make mistakes. We don't get things right. And it's very subjective on what right is anyway. The main point is to have fun. Don't be afraid to fail because that's how we learn. If you are afraid of failing and you don't really commit and put yourself out there, you don't reach the truth of what you're trying to say, musically or in acting. It's going to show. You know what I mean? People feel that distance between you and your art, so just have fun with it and don't be afraid to mess up.
Alexa Goins: I think that's great advice. Since on SKILLR, we're all about learning and growing and taking small steps to gain new knowledge and skills. What's one thing that you're learning about or interested in learning about right now?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Oh man. It's so many things. Well right now I've been doing a lot of dance lately. Mostly just kind of on my own. I used to take dance, actually. I did a little bit of ballet and jazz and also Japanese dance. I don't know if you're familiar with there's a lot of different folk dances in Japan. So I used to perform in a Taiko group, which is a Japanese drumming and our group also did a lot of traditional songs based in different regions. So I would love to get back into that one day. It's kind of a very niche style. So it's hard to find teachers for that kind of thing. Oh and also I've been doing karate for about, I want to say eight months or so. And I just got my green belt actually. They bumped me from a white to a green. So I'm just really excited to continue learning this new style.
Alexa Goins: Congratulations on that. It sounds like you like to learn.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Yeah. And actually I have a teaching credential. I don't know if I ever mentioned this before, but I have a multiple subject teaching credentials. So typically that's like K to five. So I love teaching. I love working with people and especially kids. Like to see them make connections and to get excited when they learn something and discover that love of learning, I think is really special. And I think that's something that we should all keep throughout our lives. We never stop growing or stop learning and that's sort of what gives us joy I feel like.
Alexa Goins: Yeah, I agree with that. I think learning and curiosity are just the things that keep you excited about life and being human. So that's awesome.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Right. Yeah. I mean, in the end it's like our whole human experiences. We were born, we grow, we're constantly evolving. Right. And I feel like when people stop evolving and stop and feel like they're done, like I've already learned everything I need to know that's when we start to stagnate and then you kind of get this sense of directionless existence.
Alexa Goins: Yeah. I definitely agree with that.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Sorry, really philosophical. I was not expecting that.
Alexa Goins: No, no, no. This usually happens in these interviews.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Oh really? Okay. That's good to know.
Alexa Goins: What are some common challenges that people run into when learning music?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: There are a lot of different things. Everyone's different. For some people it might be learning the music theory, how to read the notes. But for me, actually, I learn to read by ear first. So I just looked online, found information or just watched. My dad used to play piano, so I would watch him. And in some ways I feel like that's really helpful because a lot of the people that I've talked to that start with notation and the music theory, while that's really great and it's so useful, it can also make you feel a little bit, I guess it might give you a little bit of a narrow perspective because you're like taught like, okay, this is the way that I'm supposed to play. And then it might kind of stifle your creativity unless you balance it out with just playing with the music too.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: So if you are that kind of person where you just kind of like to get into it and then kind of start learning the theory as you go, that might be a better perspective or a better approach I mean. But if you are someone that likes to understand it on a cerebral level first, then that music theory and the notation and the rhythms, all that stuff, being a foundation for learning the technique and the actual practical skills that could really be helpful. So I think it's really just a matter of figuring out like what your learning style is and what your goals are. Everyone has different reasons for wanting to play music. So it's really just tailoring it to whatever is your specific goal.
Alexa Goins: What would you say to people who are wanting to learn more about music that are maybe nervous or confused about where to get started?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Honestly, there's no right or wrong way to learn music. Music is something that we have internally anyway just starting with our heartbeat we have a rhythm when we're in the womb. The first thing that even here is the mother's heartbeat. So especially in Taiko, we talk about how rhythm is so natural and all of these different things that build on, on it. Like your melody and counter melodies and harmonies, all of these things, just they start from something very small. And if you just give yourself time to explore and of course it helps to have someone to teach you and learning on your own is possible but I think it takes a certain kind of aptitude. You have to be able to understand music and pitch a little bit independently in order to make it work.
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: But having a teacher is really helpful because yeah, if you don't know what you're doing, it can be a little bit scary and can be discouraging if you don't have that support. Right. Because yeah, we all make mistakes. So I think having someone kind of guide you, especially in the beginning stages when you're just working on the fundamentals and maybe you might have a lot of questions about techniques and posture, playing position. I mean, all of these things are really important to get down correct the first time or in the beginning, just so you don't develop bad habits over time.
Alexa Goins: Those were all the questions that I had. Is there anything else that you want to share about yourself or about SKILLR or about music or acting?
Rebecca Jensen Uesugi: Let me see. I guess the main thing is that I would love to get to meet people on SKILLR and I'm not an absolute expert on all of these things too, and I'm growing too. So I feel it would be a wonderful learning process for both of us. So don't be afraid to just give it a try and I would love to connect with you and help you out on whatever your music or acting goals are.
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