Percussion

Jon began working with Ethos in the Fall of 2010 as a volunteer teaching assistant for after-school Music Corp classes and is now proud to be a part of the percussion staff. His overall enthusiasm and extensive knowledge of Western and Afro-centric music earned him recognition from fellow instructors. He is excited at the opportunity to pass along his passion for playing drums to all that he encounters.

Jon began playing drums at age 12 after short stints with violin and flute. Upon graduating from high school, he began teaching marching drum line at high schools in Beaverton and Hillsboro and was a guest performer with the Yaquina Bay Symphony Orchestra in Newport (OR). He then attended Portland State University, immersing himself in Jazz, New Orleans, Reggae, and Afro-Cuban music styles under the tutelage of Alan Jones and Ken Ollis. Other instructors with whom he has studied include the late Jeff Cumpston, Roger Allen, Tim Rapp, Reinhardt Melz, and Derek Rieth.  In 2004, he travelled to Havana, Cuba for a three-week intensive study of Cuban popular and folkloric percussion at the National School for the Arts.

Jon is also an active performer in the local music scene. One can catch him with cult-favorites Mars Retrieval Unit and Intervision or freelancing with various rock and blues groups in the area. He also co-hosts blues jam sessions on Sunday and Monday nights in SE Portland.