Jesse is from Southeast Missouri, attended Jackson High School, and started his life as a musician on the Trumpet playing in the Marching band and auditioning for Jazz band and Wind Symphony. During high school, he also taught himself guitar, ukulele, and mandolin and began the practice of songwriting. Jesse began his university studies at Southeast Missouri State University as a Music Composition major playing Trumpet fall of 2013.

While at SEMO Jesse grew as a composer and brought his self teachings as a guitarist into formal lessons for the first time. After a semester he decided to pursue a dual degree in both Composition and Classical guitar performance and leave formal playing of the Trumpet behind to make time for Voice lessons and Choir. While taking these lessons and growing Jesse also sang in the University Choir and Opera Chorus for several of the 5 years of his dual degree as well as playing for the guitar ensemble and both Lab and Studio Jazz Bands. He graduated with his Bachelor's in Music Composition and Guitar Performance in 2018.

Jesse then auditioned and was accepted to the prestigious and competitive music program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois as a Master's student in Classical Guitar Performance and Pedagogy. Here he grew even more as a performer and as a composer while taking all of his electives as composition courses. Making many great connections and friends he had to move out of the Chicago area due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Jesse graduated on June 20, 2020, with his Master's and now is pursuing his career as a performer, composer, and teacher.

During his masters, Jesse learned more about the history of the Banjo in America and its connection to the American classical guitarists early on in our country’s history. The majority of classical guitarists in America’s early days also played and taught the mandolin and banjo. This led Jesse to return more fully to some self-taught styles and instruments having a formal education in classical guitar pedagogy which translates almost seamlessly to other plucked instruments. It became a goal of his to connect with his roots and bring all of these instruments into his formal teaching. Through exploration of old Banjo and Mandolin methods has led Jesse to an even better understanding of plucked string pedagogy.

During his studies, Jesse studied with Patrick Rafferty in guitar and Dr. Robert Fruehwald in composition at SEMO with a semester of guitar under Dr. Jeffery Noonan and 3 years of vocal lessons under Dr. Tim Schmidt. He studied under the tutelage of Anne Waller at Northwestern University with regular studio classes with her husband Mark Maxwell, a guitar professor at Du-Paul University. As a student, Jesse had the opportunity to play in many master classes with wonderful players. During his undergraduate degree, he played in a master class for guitarist Johannes Mohler. During his masters, he was in master classes with Oscar Ghiglia, Berta Rojas, Manuel Barrueco, An Tran, GFA winner TY Zhang, Judicael Perroy, Brasil Guitar Duo, Brian Toroscan, as well as with lutenists Paul O’Dette and Ronn McFarlane. Some, like Oscar Ghiglia, Jesse played for 2 or 3 different master classes/years.

While at Northwestern Jesse also played with the contemporary music ensemble both on electric guitar and banjo as well as performing with the NU guitar ensemble even conducting them in an arrangement of one of his original works. With the Contemporary Music Ensemble, he was directed by Ben Bolter and Alan Pierson (Coordinator of “Alarm Will Sound”) and performed in pieces including Meltdown Upshot by Marcos Balter; The Grass has Grown in Your Cities by PhD student Ben Zucker; A Visible Trance by Rebbecca Saunders; Omgyjeya-Switch 7 by Aphex Twin arranged by Alarm Will Sound conducted by Alan Pierson.

Since receiving his master's Jesse has been teaching and performing. Running summer camps, ensemble workshops/technique classes, and classes at the SEMO Art Council. Performing personal recitals of mixed styles, playing for classes at the Art’s Council, performing for church services, and arranging hymns and liturgy for the