As the new school year at the Germantown Branch of Settlement Music School gets underway, it does so under the supervision of a new branch director. Micah Jones has taken over the reins of Settlement’s first branch outside of the Queen Village section of Philadelphia, succeeding Kristofer Rudzinski, of Plymouth Meeting, who stepped down last spring.

 Although Jones was born in the city, he grew up in suburban Harrisburg with his parents and older sister.

 “None of my family are musicians,” he explained, “but my parents and much of my family love music and have always been supportive of my pursuit to become a professional musician.”

 Recalling his earliest musical experiences, Jones said, “My pre-school teacher was a Suzuki-piano teacher, and noticed that I might have perfect pitch at the age of four. She noticed that I could sing the songs before she started playing the introductions. My mother didn’t find that surprising, but my teacher mentioned that I could sing them in the right key without a reference. So, my teacher recommended to my mother that I start playing an instrument and begin lessons.”

 Jones chose the violin to join friends who were also taking lessons. because friends of his, with whom he had a regular playdate, had to stop to practice. He studied with Jane Aikov, a Suzuki teacher in Hershey. Subsequent teachers included Pam deWall and Carl Iba. Along the way, he experimented with the oboe for a short time. Then, upon hearing a concert featuring the great Brazilian musician, Astrud Gilberto, he fell in love with the bass. He continues to play both bass and violin.

 Jones played in string, wind and vocal ensembles in elementary, middle and high schools.

 “Outside of school,” he said, “I played in the Harrisburg Youth Symphony from 7th through 12th grades, ultimately reaching assistant concertmaster in 11th grade. I also participated in the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz High School All Star Band from 9th through 12th grades. I played in the Pennsylvania All-State Orchestra in my junior and senior years, having participated in the District Orchestra in 10th grade.”

 By this time in his young life, Jones already knew that “a life in music was what I wanted to pursue. I had a lot of support from everyone in my life. No one ever discouraged me from pursuing it.”

 Jones initially attended Temple University as a violinist, then changed his instrument and program to jazz bass in his junior year, taking an additional year to round out his acoustical bass studies. He continued those studies at the now-defunct University of the Arts, receiving his master’s degree in jazz studies.

 “My first professional job was subbing for the musical workshop at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center at Harrisburg Community College at the age of 16,” he explained. “I played a lot of musicals in the Harrisburg area through college and, then, I began to play more jazz gigs in Philly.

 “My first teaching position came as an adjunct faculty at Bucks County Community College on the recommendation of one of my mentors, Ben Schachter, and hired by Mark Benson. I also taught one violin student at Lincoln University that same year. I taught at BCCC for two and a half years before applying for a full time position at UArts.”

 Jones started at university as a substitute in the spring of 2001, but was eventually hired for a full time position. He began his tenure at the college teaching theory and musicianship but eventually became dean of the school of music, working at University of the Arts for 23 years.

 “I loved working there,” he assured. “We developed a strong sense of community, not perfect, but caring for one another. We didn’t like to be complacent, so we strived to open our eyes to the possibilities we could create for students to thrive in the world of music. No matter what path they chose. Our students still went on to become successful classical, jazz, pop, rock, hip hop artists and more. Our music business, entrepreneurship, and technology majors were stepping into jobs in numerous fields we hadn’t even imagined for them.” 

 Jones learned that the school was closing when he and his wife were dropping off their daughters at the prom and sitting in the parking lot. He received a text from one of his students with a link to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

University of the Arts “was an amazingly creative space within our city and I’m pretty proud of what we did,” he said.

 Speaking about the Germantown Branch he now heads, Jones said, “I love the area -- its history and the number of great artists and musicians of all kinds who have come from the area. Even many of my music friends are Germantown Branch alumni or former faculty. I am very excited to work with this community.

 “There are such obvious opportunities to provide families and individuals with the joy of learning to play an instrument, to dance, or just to grow your appreciation. I hope to share more publicly our concerts, and hopefully to bring our faculty and students to the community, as well. There really are no limits, but I hope that Settlement continues to grow in the hearts and minds of our community as the place to come to and study music of all forms and many instruments.”

 For information about Settlement Music School visit settlementmusic.org. You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.