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Bob Sinicrope

Director
Milton Academy
Milton, MA

Bob Sinicrope is a consummate educator. He founded Milton Academy’s Jazz Program in 1974 and remains its director. Winner of several DownBeat, MusicFestUSA, IAJE and Berklee Festival awards, the program has produced many fine professional musicians most notably Aaron Goldberg and Steve Lehman. His students have toured and performed in South Africa (12 times), at many JEN and IAJE conferences, European Jazz Festivals, and twice at the White House. They have opened for Eric Alexander, Hal Galper, Jim Hall, Dave Holland, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Poncho Sanchez, James Taylor, Kenny Werner and Victor Wooten.

Bob’s interactive SmartMusic books entitled "Pathways towards Greatness" are being used in 49 countries. This series of more than 2 dozen planned books, features a comprehensive approach to learning and utilizing chord tones on tunes commonly played at jam sessions. Beginning at a novice level, each book takes the user from learning chord tones, to advanced levels of how to utilize chord tones in solos. The concepts of Approach Notes, Forward Motion, Passing Tones, Syncopation and Voice Leading are gradually introduced through exercises and hyperlinks of video and background information. Pathways has received glowing reviews from Randy Brecker, Denis DiBlasio, Gordon Goodwin and Victor Wooten.

Bob has made his mark internationally over the past six decades with clinics in 30 countries on six continents. Teaching credits include Jamey Aeberold’s Summer Jazz Workshops (40 years), directing weekend workshops for guitarists, bassists and drummers that precede the Aebersold weeklong workshops (15 years), Victor Wooten Berklee Bass Workshops (7 years), and Jazzwise Summer School in London (12 years). His IAJE conference presentations include "Develop Your Own Groove", "Tips on Teaching Improvisation to Beginners", and "Tips on Using Technology in the Classroom". He presented "The History of Jazz Bass" at the International Society of Bassists San Francisco and Rochester conferences and the Reno JEN conference. He has also presented these workshops in many colleges worldwide. He directed a week-long workshop at Tshwane University in Pretoria, South Africa, and has had residencies at the Amy Foundation in Cape Town and the University of KwaZulu-Natal that included launching and instructing a Finale Lab.

In 2007, Bob became the inaugural recipient of the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year. He served as Jazz Education Network (JEN) President (2014-2016) and was on JEN’s Board from 2009 – 2018. In 2010 Bob received the National Youth Development Council award for service and the DownBeat magazine’s Jazz Education Achievement Award.

A much in demand bassist, Bob currently leads "The World Leaders" and "SoundsGlobal". His credits include performances with Eric Alexander, Ernestine Anderson, Shirley Bassey, Jerry Bergonzi, Randy Brecker, Sara Caswell, Hal Crook, John Clayton, Billy Eckstine, Bill Evans (saxophone), Jon Faddis, George Garzone, Aaron Goldberg, Tiny Grimes, Abdullah Ibrahim, Tommy Igoe, Papa Jo Jones, Sean Jones, Babatunde Olatunji, Chris Potter, Rufus Reid, Bobby Sanabria, the Artie Shaw Band, Kenny Werner, Matt Wilson, and Victor Wooten.

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