Justin Dicioccio

BMHOF Class of 2004

Justin DiCioccio is internationally recognized as one of the foremost jazz educators of our time. In January 2001, he was inducted into the Jazz Education Hall of Fame. His keen insight into teaching and his inventive approach have earned him the title “the musician’s teacher.”

In 2002, Mr. DiCioccio was named Assistant Dean/ Chair, Jazz Arts Program of Manhattan School of Music; in 2011 he was named Associate Dean. Under his leadership, the jazz curriculum has been completely restructured, including the creation of a new jazz DMA program. He has put into action his concept of the complete artist-musician—performer, composer, and pedagogue—by developing partnerships with public schools, community organizations, cultural institutions, and the music industry. He initiated the addition of a jazz component to the Precollege Division, making Manhattan School of Music one of the few institutions in the country to offer jazz programs at all levels. Mr. DiCioccio also directs international jazz programs, in partnership with Manhattan School of Music.

Mr. DiCioccio has served as program director and clinician for Carnegie Hall Jazz Education and acts as a consultant to Jazz at Lincoln Center and Wynton Marsalis. He designed, developed, and directed the award-winning LaGuardia High School of the Arts jazz program, the first fully accredited secondary jazz program in the United States

Mr. DiCioccio is the recipient of a citation from the mayor of New York for “Distinguished and Exceptional Service to Young Instrumentalists” and is active with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. He is a three-time recipient of the Presidential Scholars teaching recognition award by the U.S. Department of Education. In May 1998, the Commission Project, in partnership with the New York City Board of Education, created the JD Award for Outstanding Service to Music in New York City Schools. On March 1, 2010, he was confirmed as the State Department Appointed Cultural Envoy Jazz Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia.

Mr. DiCioccio’s performing and conducting credentials include concerts, commercials, Broadway shows, and recordings with jazz, orchestral, rock, and new music groups. He has performed with Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Mangione, Phil Woods, Stan Getz, Red Rodney, and Clark Terry. Mr. DiCioccio is a former member of the Rochester Philharmonic and for five years was a member of the Marine Band “The President’s Own,” in which he served as the official White House drummer.