Jason Miller
Assistant Director
Jason Miller is a drummer/educator/clinician/performer/side-man from the Pitttsburgh, PA region. Performing everything from pick-up sessions at intimate local jazz clubs to major national tours playing to thousands and even tens of thousands nightly, Jason covers the entire spectrum of drumming styles. Beginning his professional career as a classical percussionist under the direct tutelage of former Boston Symphony timpanist Vic Firth, Jason was exposed to virtually all aspects of drumming and percussion, studying not only classical percussion and jazz drumset methods and repertoire, but also the music of Africa , the Middle East, Cuba and Brazil. In addition to Mr. Firth, Jason is a former student of Kalman Cherry, Doug Howard and Dan Florio of the Dallas Symphony, and a drumset pupil of world renowned drumset clinician Dom Famularo. Jason even spent many hours in private study with Middle Eastern master hand drummer, Jamal Muhammed.
Some of the more notable artists with whom Jason has collaborated or performed include country artists Leanne Rimes and Janie Fricke, Motown luminaries the Platters, smooth jazz recording artist Joe MacBride and the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Wind Symphony.
Most recently, Jason held the drum chair with multi-platinum Island Def-Jam recording artists and Pittsburgh hometown favorites, Rusted Root. He appeared with the band on countless National tours over a five year span and the 2009 release of the bands seventh album, “Stereo Rodeo”.
Additional performances, recordings and collaborations in recent years include work with such artists as Rusted Root front-man Mike Glabicki, Rob James of “The Clarks”, and Abby Abbodonza and Chris Higbee of “The Poverty Neck Hillbillies. Jason also manages and performs about 100 shows a year with his regional rock/pop/hip-hop cover act Radio Tokyo.
Beyond his work as a performer, Jason is an active member of the staff at Mt. Lebanon Percussion Academy where he serves as an assistant director to the Percussion Ensemble coordinating both the Drumset and Freshman Ensembles.