Episode 12: Josh Jones

TAMS Percussion Podcast

Joining Michael, Sky, and Sui-Lin on the podcast today is the Principal percussionist of the Kansas City Symphony, published author, teacher, performer, arranger? (more on that later in the episode) and overall great guy Josh Jones!

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Josh Jones started hitting things at age 2 and received his first drum set at age 3. Josh began his formal studies in percussion with the Percussion Scholarship Program under the direction of Chicago Symphony member Patricia Dash, and Chicago Lyric Opera member Douglas Waddell. He earned his Bachelor’s in Music from DePaul School of music and was the orchestra fellow of both the Detroit and Pittsburgh symphonies. In 2020, Josh joined the Kansas City Symphony as Principal Percussionist. Josh has been featured at Carnegie Hall, on radio and television, and has had two short documentaries made about his musical development and experience. He also authored a percussion method book series, “Spatial Studies for Hitting Things”, and writes musical and philosophical blogs on his website, drummojo.com. Josh really enjoys giving back to the community as well as mentoring young musicians and traveling.

In this episode of the show, we talk about Josh's time in the Percussion Scholarship Program, a program for young percussionists in Chicago that our very own Sui-Lin was a member of. We also discuss his career in other symphonies such as an apprentice in the Detroit Symphony, the principal percussionist in the Calgary Symphony, and the principal in the Kansas City Symphony. Also mentioned are some ideas about auditioning including how to overcome anxiety and what to bring, the documentary Josh was featured on in 2016, the books that Josh has been writing "Spatial Studies for Hitting Things", and many more interesting and engaging topics.

Still not sold on watching this episode? Here are a few wonderful quotes from our guest on the topic of auditioning: "Don't play it accurately, play it musically." "How do you play this to make YOU go... yeah"

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