John G. Maione, born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on June 12, 1953, has been a prominent guitarist and composer, musician and teacher, in the Pittsburgh area for over 35 years. Since his first lessons at the age of six, John’s passion for guitar and for music shaped his life.

As a full-time music teacher at the prestigious Winchester-Thurston school, a private K-12 institution in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh, John is Director of the Upper School Jazz Band, the US and Middle School Orchestras, the Commencement Orchestra, the Spring Musical “Pit” Orchestra, and the US Guitar Ensemble. He teaches US Music Appreciation, Theory, and Technology (MIDI), courses, which he created and established, and is also the MS General Music Teacher (grades 6, 7, and 8). John acts as Coordinator of the WT Private Music Instruction Program, employing as many as 16 teachers instructing over 20% of the WT student body on 10 different instruments.

John has been teaching jazz guitar at the University of Pittsburgh since 1980, and is an annual guest clinician at the prestigious, nationally recognized, Duquesne University Summer Guitar and Bass Workshop. He plays guitar and cantors at weekly Roman Catholic mass at St. Joseph’s Church, Bloomfield, and St. Mary’s Church, Sewickley. Past guitar teaching affiliations include Duquesne University (1977-1988), Chatham College, Carnegie Mellon University, Community College of Allegheny County, as well as various local music studios through the years. John has directed and arranged for guitar ensembles in the Berklee College tradition at the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University (as well as currently at WT). He has maintained a successful private guitar instruction practice since his sophomore year at Central Catholic High School.

John established Lousons Music Publishing, an ASCAP company, with the release of his acclaimed debut jazz CD, Midlife Blessings, featuring 13 original Maione compositions, and described as “a musical celebration of family and friends.” The Pittsburgh Tribune jazz writer, Bob Karlovits, wrote, “John Maione could be a hidden secret of local jazz…his playing is no-fat, no-foolin’ quality stuff.” In the February 2002 issue of Just Jazz Guitar magazine, Berklee Guitar Instructor and nationally-renowned writer Charles Chapman wrote: “…every tune is meticulously written, arranged, performed, and recorded by highly competent musicians who truly appear to love what they are doing…the compositions and arrangements are some of the best I have heard in a long time…you can just feel the joy and love that went into this project…’Festivale’ features John executing a solid, tasteful solo evoking a nice rich jazz sound from his trusty Gibson ES175…’Da Fish’ is funk at it’s finest.”

“Some Assembly Required” (from MLB), John’s homage to the be-bop era, Charlie Parker, and young “mechanically-challenged” dads everywhere, was recently named a Runner-Up in the Jazz Category of the 2002 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, one of 120 award winners of approximately 25,000 submissions. The jazz-funk tune “Da Fish” was also recognized with an Honorable Mention.
John followed this release with Come To Me As Children, a collection of original contemporary Christian songs “of joyful celebration and quiet faith,” incorporating elements of jazz, rock, folk, and traditional liturgical music styles. Last winter, A Christmas Peace, an eclectic collection of both original and traditional seasonal songs was released. John is currently in pre-production for his follow-up jazz recording, Kind Of Gray, scheduled for release fall 2004.

He has also recorded for other projects including Star Trek novelist Julia Ecklar’s Divine Intervention, which led to the inclusion of a character named Lieutenant John Maione in The Janus Gate: Past Prologue, the Apraxia Foundation’s children’s CD A Time To Sing, LA jazz vocalist Opie Bellas’ Live For Life, Christian singer-guitarist Mary Jo Stetson’s To Life, Virginia Caporizzo’s Of Angels Wings and Voices, distributed by Alanna Records, and the musical background soundtrack for one of the final episodes of PBS and Family Communications Misterogers Neighborhood.

John is an in-demand solo guitarist. He also frequently works in a jazz guitar duo setting, a favorite venue of his, and is an active free-lance guitarist playing for area bands and clubs. His “show” work includes playing musicals such as “Grease,” “Godspell,” “Runaways,” “Footloose,” “Hello Dolly,” “From Berlin To Broadway With Kurt Weill,” and “Hair,” as well is numerous musical reviews over the years, most notably for Don Brockett Productions, and for Connie Francis and The Vogues.

Recent Winchester Thurston music ensembles’ recognition includes the Jazz Band participation in the NYC Lincoln Center “Put Up Your Dukes” Ellington Festival, Wynton Marsalis, Director, and the bestowing of the Gene Kelly Award for Excellence in Musical Theater to WT for Best Musical two consecutive years for “Hello Dolly” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” In 2003, the “Joseph” pit orchestra, conducted by Mr. Maione, was also nominated for Best All Student Orchestra. Jazz students annually audition and are chosen to perform in the Pa. Music Educators Association (PMEA) East Regional Jazz Festival All-Star Bands.

Mr. Maione has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Pittsburgh, and has earned 26 post-graduate credits in music from Duquesne University (QPA 3.92). He studied guitar for years with one of the best jazz guitarists and educators in the country, Joe Negri, and is a certified Music Technology Instructor. He is a member of the following professional organizations: Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME), the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the Pa. Music Educators Association (PMEA), the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and the Musicians Union, Pittsburgh Local 60-471. John is proficient in all guitar styles, and also plays bass guitar, piano and keyboards, banjo, and mandolin.

He lives with his wife of 25 years, Judy, and has 2 artistically-talented children, Francesca (age 24) the poet, and Louis (age 22) the drummer…and the entire family plays guitar!