Hello! My name is Jon Dufore. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  I had many toy guitars and keyboards as a child that definitely saw their full use. I began playing drums in 5th grade. I was awarded tuition to the Crane School of Music‘s Crane Youth Music program for percussion from my school’s music department at the end of the 6th grade. I started learning guitar in 7th grade & bass in 9th grade.  I played percussion and bass in the high school band, bass and guitar in the jazz band, and all three in many of my own musical adventures outside of school.  During school I played at various talent shows, pep rallies, NYSSMA solos, school concerts, dinner events, and a summer playing for Jack Kelly’s Little Big Band.

After high school I played in a professional cover band before attending Musician’s Institute (MI) in Hollywood, CA where I received my degree in Guitar Performance. Attending this school was the best experience of my life as I was able to expand my musical knowledge tenfold. I became proficient on the guitar, playing in many different styles and my knowledge of music theory increased vastly, making me comfortable in unfamiliar playing situations. MI gave me a lot of performance opportunities. I set a school record for playing in 60 Live Performance Workshops (when the requirement was only 10) playing in Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Reggae, R&B, Country, Latin, Hip Hop, Real World (sight reading music charts in a group with no prior knowledge of the song), Jazz Ensemble, and probably a few others I’m forgetting. I also was part of many student projects. I was able to play for showcases, a few of which were in front of A&R representatives, and be part of students’ recording projects. At graduation I was awarded the school’s Most Outstanding Student Award. I was featured in Guitar World magazine for this with the other award winners and instructors.

After MI, I played with a reggae band all around the Hollywood area at venues like Molly Malone’s, Room 5 Lounge, the House Of Blues, and the Viper Room, quickly earning residencies at Molly Malone’s and Room 5 Lounge.

I was also able to participate in a product demo video for Roland US they were shooting for the upcoming National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show.  I was playing bass in the group that was demoing their new organ. In addition to being paid and treated to some wonderful Greek food, I was able to attend the invite only NAMM show as their guest, where I was able to view all the newest music products and meet many professional musicians.

I eventually returned to my hometown area, where I worked for St. Lawrence University teaching private guitar lessons & playing for both classes, musicals, and events!

I also ran my own private school called Musical Way Academy, bringing other music instructors together to provide in home music lessons, group lessons, student band programs, and performance opportunities for students, including our Coffeehouse Series & the yearly Student Showcase concert!

After the pandemic and a couple of moves, my desire to start teaching on a more consistent basis has been reinvigorated as that has been the most rewarding facet of music in my life!