Jon Ross

HGHS 2004

Crane School of Music at State University of New York at Potsdam, BA, 2008 The Ohio State University, Masters, Music Education 2010

 

Those who saw Jon Ross onstage in the charismatic title role of Pippin in November, 2002, would not have recognized the shy boy who entered Horace Greeley three years earlier.

 

For Jon, involvement in the Greeley Theatre and Music departments not only re-enforced his love of the performing arts, but moved him to come out of his shell. Looking back, he says “Feeling like I had a place in school helped to motivate me more in my academics, and it helped to guide me through the decisions of where to attend college and what to do with my career. “

 

Jon also says the role of Pippin was most influential for him as a performer, as he did deep character work for the first time and worked harder than he ever had. Jon keenly recollects other seminal Greeley Theatre moments. He performed with his best friend, Jeffrey Raab (who is now working in theatre) in Lend Me a Tenor.  After many shows together, these two were finally in a show where they got to play off one another. In addition, The Fantasticks was especially meaningful for Jon, as the small cast engendered a closeness which greatly enhanced the production. Jon says “I do not think I would have found myself if it weren’t for the great performing opportunities I had at Greeley”.

 

Jon’s love for the performing arts guided his career.  Once he realized he wanted to sow the seeds of performance for children, he majored in music education in college and graduate school.  For the past two years, he’s been teaching music at an elementary school in Harlem, part of the Success Academy Charter School, to grades K-4.  He teaches the fundamentals of singing, music theory, and performance, and also teaches recorder and guitar to the upper grades. Jon was married in 2013.