Episode #9 - Dr. Jon Moyer, trombonist, public school educator & adjunct professor

Dr. Jon Moyer, originally from Butler, Pennsylvania, is a performer, teacher and professor who eventually navigated his way further east when he landed his job in the Central York School District. A former student of Harding "Corky" Whitacre while in high school and Mark Lusk during his time at Penn State University, Jon credits both of his applied music teachers as both great inspirations and excellent teachers who helped shape him into the musician he is today.

In this episode we discuss how it often "takes a village" to support a musicians' lifestyle and how his family's support, in particular his wife Angeline, is how he has managed to accomplish all that he has in his career thus far.

Jon's involvement in the Nittany Trombone Quartet and other local groups has created a busy schedule in addition to his CYSD job as their beginning band and lesson instructor. We discuss his philosophy on a student's initial instrument choice and why a solid foundation in these beginning skills is so crucial. We also touch on the challenges of the Covid shutdown and how it not only affected his numerous jobs but how it changed his outlook on the rest of his career.

If being a performer and teacher isn't enough, Jon was formerly an adjunct professor at York College and is currently teaching trombone and is involved as a member of the graduate school's music education faculty at Messiah University. We discuss the dichotomy of his beginning band and university jobs as well as his thoughts on the challenges that face education today.

There are many takeaways in this episode, especially for young music educators - thanks for listening!