Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts with his twin brother Jonathan, a clinical psychologist. He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as an instrument as "drumming was one hundred percent energy". An athlete in high school, Aronoff was a natural, earning 3-letters playing lacrosse, ski team and soccer.\n', '

After attending Berkshire Country Day, Aronoff went to music school for one year at the University of Massachusetts and spent four more years at the Indiana University School of Music (presently known as Jacobs School of Music) as a performance major in classical music as well as spending a summer at the Aspen School of Music run by Juilliard School of Music. He also spent one summer at Tanglewood in the Fellowship program (now Tanglewood Music Center), which at that time was managed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra where he worked with conductors Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Arthur Fiedler. While studying at Indiana University from 1972 to 1976 Aronoff studied under timpanist George Gaber. He also studied privately with Vic Firth and Arthur Press, both formerly with The Boston Symphony Orchestra. After graduating in 1976 he was offered jobs with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Quito Ecuador Symphony Orchestra but decided to move to the East Coast to study in Boston with Alan Dawson, a teacher from Berklee College of Music, and with Gary Chester in New York where he began to concentrate on jazz and fusion music.\n', '

During this time he decided to return to his rock and roll roots that started in 1964 with his very first childhood band, The Alley Cats. In 1980 he won an audition with John Cougar and promptly joined the band which led to a career with Mellencamp recording 10 albums and touring with him over a 17-year period.\n', '

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