Originally from Easton, Pennsylvania, Jon had several toy drum sets as a youngster and banged along to many of his parents’ records by Elvis, Johnny Cash, and even Beethoven. His favorite band was KISS, and he collected all of their records and memorabilia. Seeing lots of live music with his parents and grandparents, Jon decided he would like to become a professional musician someday. One of the traveling bands they followed was getting new drums, so Jon’s parents bought the old ones - a five piece Slingerland set, and they also enrolled him in lessons at a local music store.
Jon's early studies in elementary and middle school included the Breeze Easy snare drum method as well as Carmine Appice's Realistic Rock for drum set. He also started to play along with recordings of his favorite bands including: Rush, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Metallica, The Beatles, Miles Davis, and the Buddy Rich Big Band.
In high school Jon played in the school bands and jazz ensembles, musical productions such as Guys and Dolls and West Side Story, and had the privilege of touring Europe with an American Music Abroad jazz ensemble. He joined his first working band at age 17, but also wanted to go to college and major in music.
Jon earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from Lock Haven University - where he studied music theory, piano, voice, tympani and mallet percussion, and played snare drum in the marching band and drum set in the jazz band. He also played marimba in the The Westshoremen drum and bugle corps.
Around this time, Jon studied drum set with incredible teachers in Pennsylvania - Keith Necessary and Kevin Soffera, on Long Island - Dom Famularo and Jim Chapin, and later on in New York City - Billy Ward.
While living in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Jon collaborated, performed and recorded with blues artist Simon Tittley, prog-rock Black September, jam-band and singer-songwriter Jake Kaligis, and rock groups Psycho Daisy, Ritual Bridge and Driver.
Now based in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa, Jon performs with the Eddie Piccard Jazz Quartet - which covers classic sounds of George Shearing, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and others. Jon also performs with: Alisabeth Von Presley, Dennis McMurrin, Craig Erickson, Skeeter Louis and Dan Johnson, The Surf Zombies, Bryce Janey, Ryan Phelan, The Flaming Camaros, Miss Christine, and Winterland - a tribute to the music of The Grateful Dead.
Jon is also an in-demand percussion instructor. He offers private lessons for the drum set and other percussion instruments, teaches marching and concert percussion at schools, and has presented numerous workshops and clinics.
A member of the Percussive Arts Society, Jon has been published in their monthly journal - Percussive Notes. He is also part of Vic Firth’s Education Team, D’Addario’s Education Collective, Sabian's Education Network, and is a regional artist for Sabian Cymbals and Mapex Drums.