YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Jonah Smeltzer

By Tim Wesley

When it comes to career choices, you might think the die was cast for Jonah Smeltzer long ago. 

His grandfather was an accountant. 

His dad, Craig, is an accountant.

His dad’s brother is an accountant. 

His mom, Cindy, is an actuarial analyst.  (Close enough.) 

His older brother, Jacob, is studying at Thiel College to be an accountant. 

If you’re doing the math, that’s five bean counters across three generations, so you can understand how that might add up to a future in counting beans for Jonah.

But, staring down the barrel of that lineage, Jonah plans to break the mold. 

After graduating from Seneca Valley High School later this year as a talented and decorated musician/singer, he will enroll at Kent State University and major in – drum roll, please – Music Technology. 

“His grandma,” wrote Cindy, in an email punctuated with a smiley face emoji, “was happy his major included the technology side since she was concerned that [majoring in] music only, might lead to a starving musician.”

If Jonah’s hunger for music is any indicator, he just might have a buffet of career options to consider.

“I’m being open-minded,” he said.  “I’ll be learning the business side of the music industry, things like making live productions and digital recording.  At the same time, I’d like to continue performing myself and producing music by others.”

Jonah’s resume already offers a hit parade of experience.

He has played piano, trombone and saxophone; now he’s mostly focused on playing drums, electric guitar and bass guitar.  At Seneca Valley, he was selected for honors chorus and has been a state qualifier in choir twice.  He’s been in the marching band, the jazz band and the school musical, and he’s participated in two barbershop quartets.  When it came time to apply to colleges, he turned his application into a music video.

Given Jonah’s talent and passion for music, you might think accounting isn’t the only skill that runs in the family.  But that’s not exactly the case.

“I have no idea,” he said, when asked for the genealogy behind his musical gene.

Cindy isn’t sure either:  “It’s not from Craig.  I have a bit of musical talent; I can sing and enjoy it.  But it just comes naturally to Jonah.  He doesn’t have a passion for practicing, but if he wants to learn a song, he just figures it out.  He’s self-taught on most of those instruments.”

Perhaps, she joked, mom and dad’s main contribution to Jonah’s musical interest started when he was a toddler and was usually seen with a CD or DVD tucked under his arm.

“He could operate the player by himself,” Cindy said.  “They were exclusively Vacation Bible School sing-alongs or VeggieTales® so maybe they helped to produce his love for music.”

At Dutilh, where the Smeltzer family has attended for the past 14 years, Jonah has found many outlets to express that love, and he named several people who provided a positive influence along the way.

After participating in FISH, he joined the youth group and began playing in the youth band.  He credited Ron Hogue, an adult leader in Dutilh’s music ministry, with spurring that initial interest.

“He was just incredible,” Jonah said.  “He taught me how to play the bass, and he just made my musical experience great.”

Other past and present adult leaders at Dutilh – including Dustin Bush, Bud Fickley, Maureen Konopka and Matt McCarrier – have provided a positive influence, too. 

“We really have to give a shout-out to Dutilh’s youth leaders,” Cindy said.  “It’s not always easy to put up with teenagers, and they really do a nice job.  We certainly appreciate the opportunities they’ve afforded to Jonah.”

Currently, he’s playing electric guitar during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday services and leads the Youth Band with classmate and friend Katelyn Lemke; he hopes to resume playing bass guitar and Cajon when Saturday evening worship starts up again.  Cindy said the opportunity for him to keep playing when the pandemic prevented the congregation from attending live worship services was important.

“He had no other chances to practice as part of a group,” she said.  “So that was a big deal for him.  While the rest of us had to sit at home, he could go and worship and play in the band.”

Through Dutilh’s youth group, Jonah has attended retreats at Jumonville, which provided significant spiritual growth opportunities.  There, he has participated in Rock the Mountain summer camp, where youth bring instruments and form their own bands.

“It has been great hanging out with other kids,” he said.  “We’re all just growing spiritually together, talking about God and other things.  Walking to the cross was always a big deal, too.”

Outside of Dutilh, he’s been active in Enthusiastic Performers in Christ (EPIC), a chorus group from St. Paul’s church in Zelienople, and he occasionally plays in the band at Calvin Presbyterian church in Zelienople.

He said participating in these musical activities with like-minded, spiritually focused friends has “made me a better person,” and he shared this advice for anyone who’s thinking about using their performing gifts, either at Dutilh or elsewhere:  “Don’t be afraid to ask to be part of something.  I’m always asking Maureen if she needs me to sub in for someone.”

And if you’re a little shy to ask for yourself, well, don’t be afraid to accept a little help from mom.

“Behind every great musician is a pushy mom,” said Cindy, with a laugh.

In a few months when he heads to Kent State, Jonah will begin to take the next steps in his musical journey, steps that he hopes will eventually lead to a career in music.  He’ll be away from home, away from Dutilh, away from most of his “like-minded” friends.  But he’ll strive to remember the life lessons he’s learned along the way, and to use music to express them.

“Music gives you different opportunities to reach out to people,” he said.

And to break the mold.

BONUS: Check out Jonah and fellow Dutilh buddy Eli Peel performing “Doo Wop Christmas” with their barbershop quartet, JET-C.

If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.