Drummer and pianist John MacDonald was born and raised in Indiana. He grew up playing drums in church under the direction of his amazing mother. In his time in Indiana, he was exposed to orchestral music and gained experience playing orchestral percussion with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of his teacher and resident percussionist for the ISO, Craig Hetrick. John then attended Berklee College of Music, dual majoring in drum set performance and music education. During his time in Boston, he has recorded drums and keyboards on dozens of albums over a wide range of genres in local studios such as Q Division, Perfection Studios, The Record Company, Dimension Sound Studios, and Ugly Duck Studios. He plays pop, jazz, and electronic music with several bands in the Boston Area on a regular basis. He has also toured internationally with Japanese jazz-fusion artist Brian Yasuhiro.

John has worked with many students in the Indianapolis and Boston areas over the past 10 years. Several of his middle and high school age students have ranked highly in and won state competitions on their respective instruments. John believes that the most important (but oftentimes most neglected) branch of pedagogy is cultivating a self-sustaining interest. He works towards this goal through finding the most effective personalized blend of reading, ear training, and improvising for each student. As both a drummer and a pianist, John offers a unique perspective on the harmonic and rhythmic elements of music, and he enjoys sharing this with drum and piano students of all ages and ability levels.