Music
How Music Shaped My Life
I grew up in a musical household and got my first instrument, a bass guitar, when I was fourteen years old. I was offered my first professional gig when I turned sixteen and spent the next few years playing music several nights a week with blues and R&B bands in the Portland area.
At the age of eighteen, I took my first trip to Nashville to attend Victor Wooten’s Bass / Nature Camp. The experience completely changed my approach to music (and life). Since then, I have attended several additional camps, performed a few times with Victor’s band, and given voice to a character in the audiobook for Victor’s first novel “The Music Lesson.”
Over the years, I have played hundreds of gigs with dozens of bands, performing everything from blues to jazz to country to folk. I’ve met musicians onstage and played hours of music with them before even learning their names. I've also played other gigs by reading the guitarists hands or listening to the pianist shout the chords out from across the stage.
Musician turned Autism Advocate
I worked full-time as a professional musician for over ten years. While my focus today is in the autism field, I continue to work part-time as a sideman with local acts, and I teach music lessons from my home one day each week. I’m primarily an electric bassist, but I also play and teach guitar, and I occasionally perform solo jazz concerts with both instruments. Visit my YouTube channel to see some of my original compositions as well as recordings with other artists.
To see more videos of Jonathan's music and
public speaking, check out his YouTube channel!
