Meet Our Teachers

Paul & Thea Connors - bio coming soon
John Connors has been a private music instructor at Connors Music since 1996, throughout this time teaching Classical Piano, Rock Keyboard, Classical and Contemporary Guitar, Drums, Bass Guitar, Voice and Theory. He also regularly works with small ensembles and teaches group sessions in a variety of styles of music. Other teaching experiences include instructing concert band and choir programs at Georgina Public Elementary Schools, Summer Camps, Preschool Programs, and Night School Group Guitar Classes. He credits his parents with providing him with so many great opportunities to explore music and become the versatile musician he is today.

Outside of Connors Music, John is kept busy performing with "the Connors Brothers" (www.theconnorsbrothers.com) at events and fine establishments across the GTA. He continues to hone his craft as a singer / songwriter and has recently finished recording several original songs that can be heard from the band's website.
Dave Connors - "I was born on a dark, dusty March morn, the snow gently falling outside the windows of the York County Hospital. Much like everything with my life, upon my birth , the snow swirled into a vicious blizzard that took the region off guard. And thus, I came into existence."

"As music was such an intergral part of my family, it is no wonder that I gravitated towards it. But I did it my way. Solid, passionate, furious, raw. This is what led me to the bass guitar. 4 strings. That's all I ever needed."

"A lot can happen in the musical setting. Guitar leads can come screaming in, Brass soaring, Keys chirping. And underneath it, the root, the existence, lies the bass guitar. Coupled with it's brother, the drums, together they forge the unfaltering pulse, the groove, that intangible factor of 'feel'. Being a bass player in a guitar player's world feels a lot like being Leonidas at Hell's Gate, holding back the hordes of persians from entering free Greece. This same conviction is what I apply to my bass playing. That I will not falter, I will not fail. For if the groove is lost, all becomes nothing."
Joe Connors "There's a lot of different approaches to drumming for a band, and I respect the differences that exist between styles and preferences. When I see someone do something that I think can tangibly be incorporated into my playing, I try and noodle the idea out until I'm comfortable inserting it without messing up the mojo. I also fight passionatly for maintaining groove, feel, consistancy and I love being subtle and expressive. Dynamic playing is at the very essence of everything I do behind the drums. When it comes to other instruments, I do approach them as a drummer. People have told me that when they hear me play guitar, I play very rhythmically and I've even had people deduce me as a drummer by the way I play guitar. I'm thankful for that. It's something in my playing that I wouldn't change. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Bernadette Connors has been singing since before she could talk. Having been raised in Connors Music, she always had every opportunity to try any instrument she desired, with fantastic instructors surrounding her. Being taught by her Mom, Dad and her three older brothers, she was able to develop an understanding for a wide array of musical concepts and instruments. She started teaching vocals/piano at the music store when she was 13 and continued consistently until she was 21. The summer of 2009 she did an independent cross Canada tour promoting her debut album "Rocky Road" Where her and now fiancé Mat "busked" across Canada, making it all the way out to Victoria and back. Currently teaching one night a week, Bernadette spends most of her time playing shows with her band mates in "The Median", who will be releasing their album in the summer 2010.
Mark Rabey began taking guitar lessons from Connors Music more than 11 years ago. He first worked at Connors Music for a high school co-op, but returned in 2004 and has taught full-time since. In addition to guitar, he teaches bass, drums, clarinet, harmonica and piano. His influences include Matthew Good, the Tragically Hip, Dave Grohl, the Rheostatics, the Tea Party, and essentially any band active in 1994.
Rob Duffus - Born and raised in Toronto, Rob began playing drums in the mid-60's and later clarinet, achieving marks of 100% in high school music classes. Although primarily self-taught, he studied percussion with Jim Blackley for 2 years in the mid-'80s and a year or so with Gord Neave, prior to that. In the early '70s he taught at the Ontario College of Percussion in Toronto. On top of regular session work, he has been gigging steadily since 1982 and has backed several artists including Curley Bridges and Stompin' Tom Connors. He has been teaching drums, guitar and bass at Connors Music since 2004.

His early influences include Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. He loves Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, etc...
Adam Brady first began playing seriously at 14, studying here at Connors Music. Raised in Keswick, he has played guitar and saxophone with several local groups, appearing on stages all over southern Ontario. After graduating high school, he moved to Toronto to study Jazz Guitar at York University, and has since moved back to teach rock, jazz and metal technique. A published poet, he's been experimenting with the craft of songwriting since 2004, always in pursuit of the perfect lyric or line to set a melody apart. His favourite artists and influences include Jimi Hendrix, I Mother Earth, Frank Zappa, Big Sugar, Wilco and The Tea Party.
Kaitlyn Johnston grew up in Georgina, and has been performing since she was a child, staging sing-alongs to the Spice Girls for her family and friends. Lately, though, she listens to bands like Nada Surf, Colbie Caillat, Death Cab for Cutie and Feist. She plays guitar and sings, and runs our Choir program on Saturday mornings. After taking lessons at Connors Music, she began teaching last year. Since then, she's performed at Music in the Streets, the Georgina Home Show, and numerous other local events and functions.
Vicky began singing at age four, and has been taking lessons at Connors Music for eight years. She's performed at the CNE in Toronto, many local events, and is the winner of Georgina Idol 2007. She loves all kinds of music. In addition to singing, she can play piano and guitar as well.
Kaylin - bio coming soon
Miles Burford - bio coming soon
Norma Varkki(nee Underwood) has been playing the violin since grade one. A master of the strings, Varkki expresses her love for life and all things living through her instrument. Her adolescent years were spent attending summer orchestral music school, mentored by university music students of the Bach Youth Ensemble founded by Patrick Burroughs, and she has been teaching since 1987, for the last several years at Connors Music. She is experienced in all genres of string compositions offering students flexibility in learning.

Musical abilities are strong within her family: her father, Robert Underwood, trained in Milan at La Scala Opera School and coached such vocalists as Sammy Davis Jr. and Robert Goulet. Varkki's cousin is the internationally known singer/actor/comedian Mimi Hines, and her grandmother, Elizabeth Barlett, performed at The Royal Opera House in Covent Gardens London, where the poster is still on display.
Dan Surette - In 1963, Dan first learned how to play 'O Canada' on a diatonic harmonica. He sang as a boy soprano in the Dovercourt Road Baptist Church in Toronto until he got his first guitar in 1967. He taught himself all the chords out of his Beatles Guitar Book with the exception of E-flat because it was too hard, and in 1975 began studying classical guitar. Since studying with Susan Kassner at the Eli Kassner Guitar Institute, he can now play an E-flat chord. He has played in such diverse venues as the Halcyon Ball at the Royal York Hotel's Imperial Room, and a huge backyard party in King City. He began studying jazz in 1988, at which point he learned how to play an E-flat major 9 diminished 5th with an augmented attitude. After moving to Keswick in 2001, he met Paul Connors and convinced him he should be part of the extended teaching family at Connors Music. Now Dan teaches others how to play E-flat.
Rachel Reimer - Born in London Ontario, Rachel started studying viola at age nine with Ralph Aldrich and continued on to Wilfrid Laurier University where she received a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree studying with Christine Vlajk. She continued on to study with Ms. Vlajk and the members of the Penderecki String Quartet while achieving a Chamber Music Diploma.

Rachel has been invited to play at summer festivals including Quartet Fest at Wilfrid Laurier University, Orford and Casalmaggiore International Festival.

She recently graduated from Penn State University in where she held a T.A. position while receiving her Masters in Music Performance.

Rachel also has her grade 9 RCM in both voice and piano.
Sean Meharg - Since first getting a drum set for Christmas when he was 14, Sean has never stopped playing. Sean took drum lessons with Paul at Connors Music until the age of 17 and now teaches part time. Choosing to pursue a career in the field of music he went to Recording Arts Canada and received a diploma in sound and music recording. He continues to produce and record local artists from his home studio and work as a session drummer on his spare time. Some of his early drumming influences included Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jon Otto of Limp Bizkit fame.
Mat Klucznyk - Mat studied music at Connors Music as a teen and has been teaching part-time since 2009. Graduating with honours in Audio Production and Engineering, from Metalworks Institute in December 2009, Mat has been working extensively with Sam Reid, of Glass Tiger, in the studio. Mat's experience includes working with local acts from the GTA, including The Median. Studying under Graham Brewer, digital editor for Jet, Mat has a strong knowledge in Pro Tools, Logic and Sonar, resulting in fast and efficient sessions. Extensive knowledge of outboard gear, consoles and microphones as well as their application are just some of the advantages Mat brings to the table.
Mat Power was born and raised around music. He studied the fundamentals of classical piano and theory at a young age, from there his passion for music continued to grow. In high school he started playing drums and saxophone. He also started studying guitar with help from his father and any musician that would put up with his curiosity. He constantly had a desire for playing with people. Mat involved himself in a number of bands as a drummer, guitarist, keyboardist, saxophonist, and singer. After high school he studied jazz guitar and bass at York University for a year. Mat studied under the late Red Shea in 2008. He is currently Playing with Bernadette Connors in "The Median". He played guitar and saxophone on her debut Album "Rocky Road" and accompanied her on a cross Canada Tour.