About Japheth Niles

Japheth Niles was born on the island of Anguilla, British West Indies, and grew up in the United States Virgin Islands. At a very early age he developed a love and appreciation for music. Fascinated by the drumset, he started drumming in church, and played in the church’s Steel Pan Orchestra. Later in life, Japheth started to play other instruments: piano, organ, and steel pan. When he moved to Upstate New York for college, with this background and experience, he pursued studies in music as it is positive and enjoyable and a means for building a career. In the meantime he continued to play in churches and other bands around the Syracuse area. Japheth believes that music is an avenue to express yourself. He wants his students to have a deep appreciation and love for music, great learning opportunities, self-expression, creativity and a chance for exploration through music, whether it is music they enjoy from their culture or music from another culture that interests them. Japheth holds an Associates in Music Performance from Onondaga Community College, a Bachelor's degree in Music Performance from SUNY Oswego and a Masters in Music Education: Preparation at Syracuse University