Editing Jon Appleton (section)

===1960s===
From 1957 to 1961 Appleton was a student at [[Reed College]] in [[Portland, Oregon]]. These years shaped his future life: he composed for his fellow students who performed everything he composed, he decided to become a college professor and in 1959 he married his first wife, a fellow student, Georganna Towne. Following his graduation from Reed College, Appleton moved to [[San Francisco, California]], where his first child was born (Jennifer Appleton). Simultaneously he studied composition with [[Andrew Imbrie]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]], collaborated with writer [[Willard S. Bain]] (1938–2000) writing musical comedies and was employed at the [[Macy's]] department store as an assistant buyer.

In 1962–1963 Appleton was the music teacher at the [[Verde Valley School]] in [[Sedona, Arizona]], where he conducted the [[choir]] and [[orchestra]], taught [[music theory]], [[history]] and [[piano]] lessons.

From 1963 to 1966 Appleton was a graduate student at the [[University of Oregon]] in [[Eugene, Oregon]], where he studied with [[Homer Keller]], [[Henri Lazarof]], [[Felix Salzer]] and [[Robert Trotter]]. It was there that he assembled a primitive [[electronic music]] studio and composed his first works in this genre. His thesis was an orchestral work, ''After "Nude Descending a Staircase"''. Most of the instrumental and vocal music he composed at this time used [[serial technique]] that he loved to compose. During his years in Eugene he became a lifelong friend of the pianist [[Gabriel Chodos]].

In 1966, on the basis of his early electronic music, he was invited by [[Vladimir Ussachevsky]] at [[Columbia University]] to study in the [[Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center]]. He became an advocate for electronic music and became friends with fellow composers [[Charles Dodge (composer)|Charles Dodge]], [[Emmanuel Ghent]] and [[Richard Taruskin]].

During 1966–1968 he was hired by [[Oakland University]] in [[Rochester, Michigan]], to establish an electronic music studio. When the university officials reneged on their promise, he resigned and accepted a position at [[Dartmouth College]]. It was during this year that his son, [[Jon Jason Appleton]] was born ({{italics correction|''a.k.a.''}} JJ Appleton; born April 19, 1967).