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Accomplished Jazz Drummer in Pennsylvania

John Rozum is an independent, freelance jazz drummer in Pennsylvania with a long and impressive career in the music industry. He has performed with several big bands and combos throughout the Northeast.

Teaching and Mentoring Success

In addition to performing, John has also been teaching professionally for more than 60 years. As a drum instructor, he has helped many students succeed, placing them in junior and senior county, district, regional, and state band and orchestra. He has also mentored students in the country's top DCA and DCI drum and bugle corps.

Studio Recordings and Performances with Prominent Groups

Over the years, John has been involved in studio recordings and has had the privilege of performing with various notable groups. He has performed with the Reading Pops and the Reading Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been the percussionist for over 40 Reading Civic Broadway Musicals.
Over 60 Years of Experience

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Celebrity Backups and Performances with Renowned Artists

John has been on the road with the Hamid-Morton Shrine Circus from Massachusetts and the Garden Brothers Circus from Toronto, Canada. He has also worked alongside and as a backup drummer for numerous celebrities in his career. Some of these notable names include Helen O’Connell, Dick Shawn, Phyllis McGuire, Jack Carter, Myron Floren, Al Cohn (Woody Herman), Richie Cole (Buddy Rich), Johnny Petillo (The Duprees), Gerald Veasley, and the Day Brothers.
John has also had the privilege of collaborating with former members of legendary orchestras such as Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Glenn Miller, Harry James, and Tommy Dorsey. He has also worked with accomplished musicians like Jim Snidero, Chris Vadala, Dave Llama, Dennis DiBlasio, Dave Stahl, Matt Niess, Bob Curnow, and Larry Kershner. Other artists he has performed with include:
  • Reading Big Band
  • Sam Peters Swing Band
  • Kutztown and West Chester University Alumni Jazz Bands
  • West Virginia University Jazz Ensemble
  • Coastal Carolina University Jazz Band
  • Al Raymond Big Band
  • The Audubon Jazz Explosion
  • Jump City Jazz Orchestra
  • Myrtle Beach Big Band
  • Reading and Boyertown Directors Big Band
John has played with Gamut, a 5-piece jazz ensemble, the Bone Tom Dixieland Jazz Band, and Fancy Brass. He has also played the drumset with the Music Express from Cinnaminson New Jersey, and Swing House Jazz Drum and Bugle Corps of Carneys Point, NJ.
He has been the percussion arranger and instructor for the Reading and Oley Valley marching bands. He has been a percussion judge for Drum Corps Associates, the Cavalcade and Tournament of Bands, the Keystone Indoor Drill Association, the Mid-Atlantic Percussion Society, and the USSBA. He has been a guest judge for the OZARKO Band Festival at Southwest Missouri State University. He is a member of the International Association for Jazz Education and a jazz band adjudicator for jazz band contests throughout the tri-state area.

Instruction and Arrangement for Percussion Lines

With vast experience in the field, John has instructed over 40 percussion lines for drum corps and marching bands. Some of the notable groups he has worked with include Southwind from Montgomery, AL, Westshoremen from Harrisburg, PA, Sunrisers from New York, Buccaneers from Reading, PA, and Cadets from Garfield, NJ.
He has also arranged over 700 street beats, solos, interludes, and percussion scores for marching bands, concert bands, jazz bands, steel bands, and drum and bugle corps.

Leadership and Musical Direction

John has served as the musical director of the marching percussion segment for the NFL animated cartoon Grunt and Punt, televised for the Fox Network on channel 29. He is also the leader of his clinic-based group called Percussionology, which combines rudimental, concert, rock, Latin, and jazz drumming into an educational, informative, and entertaining experience that is guaranteed to inspire and motivate percussionists and non-percussionists alike. He is currently a jazz and marching band clinician for the Vic Firth Drum Stick Corporation, the Yamaha Drum Company, and the Sabian Cymbals Company. John has also performed clinics for:
  • The Percussive Arts Society
  • The Berks Jazz Festival
  • The Mid-Atlantic Percussion Society
  • The Cavalcade of Bands
  • Pennsylvania Music Educators Association
  • West Virginia University
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • The Cadets of Bergen County
  • Elementary, Middle, Junior High, and Senior High Schools
  • Various Music Stores in the Reading and Lancaster Area

Professional Memberships and Recognition

John is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and has been listed in the “International Drum Teachers Guide” for Modern Drummer magazine. He is on staff as a percussion arranger for the periodical The International Association of Rudimental Percussionists and is the three-time Drum Corps Associates drum set champion.

Get in Touch

John is currently open for stage performances and as a substitute drummer for bands. Learn more about him by reaching out today.