Jim Swanson has been the Director of Percussion Studies, as well as the coordinator for the Middle School Percussion Programs for the Bishop Watterson High School Band Program for the past 30+ years. During his time there, the Percussion Program has grown into one of the best in the State of Ohio, with groups winning numerous awards at OMEA and Mid States Bands Association marching contests. The marching percussion program has received a “1” at OMEA State Marching Band finals for the past 22 years in a row, and has been a State Finalist at OMEA since 1987. For OMEA Solo and Ensemble, the Bishop Watterson Percussion Program frequently has the most Percussion events at the District 15 adjudicated event. He also coordinates the Bishop Watterson concert percussion groups, and is the rhythm section coordinator for the jazz band.

Jim has also fielded many successful indoor groups at Bishop Watterson, who have won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the MEPA, OIPA Indoor circuits.

Jim is the Head Band Director at Immaculate Conception, St. Andrew and St. Tim’s middle schools, and helps coordinate the Watterson Area Middle School Honor Band Percussion Program. He is a member of the Bishop Watterson Performing Arts Hall of Fame.

Jim’s students have gone on to participate in many World Level DCI and WGI performance groups, as well as getting into top college percussion programs. Jim has had students perform with, or instruct for The Bluecoats, Phantom Regiment, The Glassmen, The Crossmen, The Madison Scouts as well as with Rhythm X, Matrix, Cap City Indoor Percussion groups. Students have gone to Michigan State, The Ohio State University, Berkeley College of Music, The University of Kentucky, The Citadel, Miami University along with many others. Jims students have performed at Carnegie Hall, and at the Montreux and Newport Jazz Festivals .

He writes and arranges all of the percussion music for the Bishop Watterson program, as well as for high schools around the USA

Jim has been a percussion section coordinator for the OMEA District 15 Middle School Honor Band in the past as well.

Jim has been involved with the Indoor Drumline activity since 1997, having been the director of 2 different Percussion Independent A groups in Central Ohio: Rhythm Inc. and Level 7. Jim was a founding member, and the first Director of Percussion for the OIPA Indoor Circuit.

Jim was the tenor tech, and did auditions for the tenor line of The Ohio State University Marching Band JI-Row from 2009-2013. Jim ran the Spring and Summer Sessions, as well as maintained and tuned the quads during weekly rehearsals and on game days. You can see Jim’s tenor lines in many of the “famous” Youtube video shows from that era.

He is a graduate of Otterbein University with a Bachelor’s of Music Education. Jim has also studied percussion pedagogy closely and mentored with numerous members of the drum corps and indoor percussion community over the past 25+ years including: Thom Hannum, James Campbell, Michael McIntosh, Tom Aungst, Colin McNutt, Lalo Davilla, Julie Davilla, Ian Grom, Tony Nunez, Kevin Leppert, Niel Laravee, and Giff Howarth.

Jim currently performs with the Heisey Wind Ensemble community wind band out of Newark Ohio. This is his 12th year as a member. He plays drums in a local original surf-punk band Go Robot, Go, who has albums available on all streaming platforms, and who did some touring in the late 90’s, opening up for David Byrne, Fountains of Wayne and playing the Crossroads Music Festival in Memphis, as well as some other famous clubs. Jim also plays bass guitar in a local thrash metal band The Dead Scene, as well as drums in a swing/jump blues band – Charlie Foxtrot Quartet, and in a country/rockabilly band called Hot Rod Deluxe.

When not drumming, he plays ice hockey, rides mountain bikes, enjoys being outside/camping in all kinds of cold weather, collects football, baseball and hockey cards, and is a proud, original Dungeons and Dragons/Magic: The Gathering/Blood Bowl gaming nerd.

Bretton is from and currently resides in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. After marching all four years with the Reynoldsburg Raider Marching Pride in the front ensemble, he would go on to march five seasons with the Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps, from 2015 through 2017, 2022, and 2023. His indoor percussion experience was as the center marimba for Galaxy Percussion, where he would win an OIPA Gold Medal for PIA class. Bretton started teaching percussion with private lessons, he then went on teach private lessons for The Columbus Saints, as well as being the front ensemble tech for Mount Vernon High School. With his music education experience, Bretton holds a bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership from Arizona State University and is a member of The Columbus Saints Board of Directors. On top of being a percussionist, in high school Bretton played oboe in concert band, and he currently also plays mandolin and guitar.