Simon's musical adventure began at the age of 9 when he started learning to play classical violin.  At age 13, Simon found his true musical love in guitar playing under direction of Michael Numann in the Sacramento Youth Orchestra and by the end of his high school career was the music director for Sacramento Waldorf School's musical theater leading the group on drums for performances of "The Sound of Music", "Much Ado About Nothing", and "Almost, Maine".

 

Today, Simon teaches privately in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a student and teaches songwriting at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley where he is a student of the great jazz guitarist Mimi Fox.

 

As a performer, Simon plays guitar locally with Clay Xavier's R&B outfit and in a jazz trio with saxophonists William and Madison Bohrer.  He also directs the Neo-Classical chamber group "The Petty Strings Ensemble" and frequently returns to Sacramento to perform a number of groups with his father Peter Petty, such as Peter Petty's Terpsichoreans. 

 

Overall, Simon's calling is to bring people together, on the bandstand and off, in harmony with beautiful, meaningful music.