Johann was born in 1985 in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in the small town of Lumby in the interior of British Columbia. His father was a professional bassoonist and orchestra musician, so from a very early age he was raised in a musical environment.
After moving to Victoria, BC at the age of 12 he began learning to play music on the bassoon, and a few years later started on the trombone, both of which he has played for roughly 20 years and considers his main instruments. He has played in numerous bands throughout junior high and high school in a variety of styles including Jazz, Ska, RnB, and Classical.
After high school he enrolled in the Victoria Conservatory of Music's Certificate in Music Foundations program, as a joint trombone/bassoon major, getting further training in the foundations of music. Graduating two years later with a Diploma in Jazz Studies, he decided to pursue higher education to start a career that would be complementary to being a professional musician, and enrolled in Capilano University's Bachelor's in Music Therapy program in North Vancouver.
Graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Therapy in 2018, he now maintains the accreditations of MTA (Music-Therapist Accredited) and MT-BC (Music-Therapist, Board-Certified) the two standard regulatory bodies for Music Therapists in Canada and the U.S. respectively.
In 2013 he discovered the handpan, a beautiful and unique melodic percussion instrument invented in 2001, making it one of the newest acoustic instruments made. The handpan is the focus of his performing work in recent years, from busking in Vancouver to playing gigs including wedding and corporate events, recording an album and numerous videos, and more recently, teaching music lessons to handpan players.