​Bob Sinicrope Resume
Milton Teaching
Classroom

• Hired in September 1973 as full-time math teacher.
• Taught math courses (Algebra I, II, Geometry, Precalculus, Calculus) until 1995
• Taught courses on Love during Senior Spring Project period for 3 years (1974 – 1976)
• Founded Jazz Program September 1974
• Over the years jazz courses were added at the advanced levels, Fourth Class levels and middle school levels. Program grew from 1 course with 6 students in its first year to as many as 10 courses (groups) and 75 students. On average Milton Academy jazz groups perform forty times per year on and off campus.
• Ongoing annual performances include Celebrate Milton – town wide event, Fall tribute concert, Parents’ weekend Fourth Class performances, Halloween Parade for Lower School, Spirit Rally, several Fourth Class in class jazz performances, Holiday assembly, Arts Program exam performances, Advanced students exam project in class performances, Berklee College of Music High School, Arts Night, Ryles Jazz Club (with Boston Higashi School), Artstravaganza, See You in September picnic
• Oversee the purchase, upkeep and repair of instrumental equipment for use by Milton students in music courses, after school bands, senior college application recordings, jam sessions, Beatnik Café, musicals, senior projects, visiting artists
• Several Milton Academy graduates have gone on to successful careers in musical activities. Aaron Goldberg and Steve Lehman are major international jazz artists, Abby Aronson, Baron Tymas, Andy Berish, Marc Lowenstein, Tony Hamilton, Mike Denneen, Don Raymond, Jason Yeager are college teachers. Max Baillie, Robbie Lee, Josh Place, Rene Planchon, Syliva Minceiweiz, Tyler Sargent, Lee Sargent, Ben Stepner, Jim Hayden, Jon Lupfer, Josh Dodes, Greg Pare, Eliot Wadsworth and Otis Berkin are pursuing careers in musical activities.
• Significantly employ music education in classroom teaching through student use of SmartMusic, Finale NotePad, Transcribe, Band-in-a-Box and online websites

Other Milton Academy responsibilities

• Served as Music Department Chair during Don Dregalla’s 2nd and 3rd sabbatical
• Served as Arts Program Chair for 5 years 2003 – 2009

 Other Milton Teaching Highlights

• Conducted research project in 1976 comparing my two sections of Geometry using different teaching approaches as part of my Masters in Math Education degree from Boston University
• Chaperoned four week Glee Club trip to Romania in 1974
• Chaperoned six week Chinese Language trip to China in 1992
• Led Milton Academy Jazz tours to South Africa in 1992, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023. On these tours Milton Students have delivered over $315,000 worth of donated materials and there have been over 400 tour participants.
• Led Milton Academy Jazz tours to Florida 1983, California 1987 and 1990 and two trips with Milton Orchestra to Montreal
• Led Milton Academy Jazz tour of European Jazz Festivals in 1999 (North Sea (Holland), Viennes  (France), Fribourg and Montreux  (Switzerland) and Fryeburg Jazz Academy (Germany)
• Two White House performances for President Clinton (1999, 2000)
• Channel 5 CityLine ½ hour TV show on Milton Academy 2001 South Africa tour
• Performed at first Desmond Tutu Award Dinner for Desmond Tutu and Danny Glover (2004)
• Performed for Governor Deval Patrick’s Inaugural Celebration (2007)
• Milton Academy has hosted Abdullah Ibrahim, Darius Brubeck and the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Linda Biehl, Dumisani Ncopayi and Ntboko Pena from the Amy Biehl Foundation, Chats DeVroop, Johnny Mekoa and the Music Academy of Gauteng (South Africa), Mara-a-Pula Marimba Band (Botswana), Babatunde Olantuji and his Dance and Music Troupe (Nigeria), the German Youth Big Band, Aaron Goldberg, John Clayton, Afro Cuban specialists Rubén Alvarez, Bobby Sanabria, Ricardo Monzon, Ana Noorgard and the Flava Orchestra, Poncho Sanchez and his band, Rebecca Cline, Israel Tannebaum and Victor Mendoza; Antonio Roig (Cuba), Jamey Aebersold, Dan Haerle, Dick Johnson, Rebecca Parris, Harry Pickens, Horace Alexander Young, Jerry Bergonzi, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Bass Extremes, Ali Amr

Awards
Student Awards

• Winner Best High School Jazz Combo DownBeat magazine (1992, 1998)
• MusicFest USA 1st place (1987, 2006)
• Berklee High School - Jazz Festival numerous 1st, 2nd, 3rd place awards
• Clifford Brown –Stan Getz All Stars National Award - Rob Machold (1987), Aaron Goldberg (1992)
• DownBeat Student Music Composition Award - Bill Ward (2000)
• Dave Brubeck Jazz Colony Participant - Samara Oster (2008)
• Boston Pops Singoff Finalist – Samara Oster (2009)

Teaching Awards and Grants

• Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement (2026) from WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• DownBeat Hall of Fame for Jazz Education (2024)
• National Endowment for the Arts Studies Grant (1988)
• Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants to present jazz concerts featuring the music of Horace Silver (1986), Cannonball Adderley (1987), Chet Baker (1988), Bill Evans (1991) and Guitar –Bass duos, Tribute to South African Jazz (2023 – 2026) 
• Talbot Baker Teaching Award (1994),                                                          
• Inaugural Recipient John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year from International Association for Jazz Education and Berklee College of Music;
• DownBeat magazine Jazz Education Achievement Award (2010);
• National Youth Development Council Youth Service Award (2010)
• Establishment of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Endowment Fund in honor of Bob Sinicrope that allows Milton to bring in artists who will culturally diversify the school (1998)
• Bob Sinicrope Teaching Endowed Fund that allows local artists to visit and teach at Milton (1998)
• Entered into the Jazz History Database as a performer, teacher and Jazz Education Network President
• The Milton Academy Jazz Program has been referenced as a model for jazz programs at Andover Academy, Rivers Academy, Lexington High School, Fieldston School

Other Teaching Activities

• US Peace Corps Teacher Training for New Math Program at five Montego Bay primary schools (1971 – 1972)
• Boston Public Schools substitute teaching (1972 – 1973)
• John Payne Music Center Ensemble Instructor (1979 – 2001)
• Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops (1981 – present) teaching in Chicago, Louisville and London - Ensemble and Bass Instructor
• Secretary Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (1981- 1982)
• Maine Summer Workshop (1993)
• Asked to begin a jazz academy in Cape Town by Abdullah Ibrahim and asked to publish my musical arrangements of his music
• Applied for a $90,000 grant to bring Abdullah Ibrahim to Boston for 3 years as a composer in residence. Organized the Strand Theater, Boston Housing Authority, Berklee College of Music, the Grammy nominated Either Orchestra to join Milton Academy in this project. Made the first cut from 67 applicants to 20. I withdrew after this due to lack of cooperation from Abdullah.
• Consultant to Amy Biehl Foundation Music Program (2 week residence in Cape Town - 2002)
• Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Weekend Workshops for Guitar, Bass and Drums – Director (2006 – present)
• Harvey Finstein Summer Workshops (2005- 2007)
• Presented workshops/performances at Jazz and Music Education Conferences Boston (Develop Your Own Groove, Bob Sinicrope Trio - 1994), Chicago (Tips for Teaching Beginning Jazz - 1996), New York (Tips for Using Technology in the Music Classroom - 2007), Cape Town (Jazz Bass 101, Jazz Bass History, Teaching Tips, Technology Tips - 2004, 2008, 2011), San Francisco (Jazz Bass History – 2011, 2013), Atlanta (SoundsGlobal - 2013), Pathways towards Greatness Improvisation 2022, Approaching Jazz through Chord Tones (2023), Fifty Tips from 50 years of teaching jazz (2024), Bassics and Beyond (2025), Basics to Breakthroughs, (2026)
• Presentations at University of Denver, North Carolina Central University, Rollins College, SouthEast Florida College, Unversity of South Florida, Emerson College, Berklee College of Music, Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Wayland Public Schools, Puerto Rico Conservatory, Cork University (Ireland), SYA Rennes, France; University of Cape Town, Kwazulu Natal University, Technikon University, Bloemfontein Community Center, Mara-a-Pula School (Botswana), Maharishi School (Iowa), Experimental Middle School Beijing, Muso Club (Sydney Australia), International Schools in Bangkok and Rio de Janeiro, Havana Community Center, Cairo Egypt, Crescent City Utah Jazz Festival, University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Tswhane University, and Jazz Education Network and International Association for Jazz Education conferences.
• Elected to Jazz Education Network (JEN) Board (2009), President- Elect (2012 – 2014), President (2014 – 2016), Past President (2016 – 2018);                                                                                                                      
• Conference Submission Selection Chair (2009 – present); Awards Committee Chair
• Directed a weeklong jazz workshop for South African students at Tswhane University Pretoria preceded by a weekend workshop in how to teach jazz for teachers (2016) with over 140 students and 15 teachers
• Victor Wooten Berklee College of Music Bass Weekend Workshop Teacher (2014 – 2022)
• 3 week residency at the Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana,
• 1 week residency at Tshwane Unviversity in Pretoria, and the Music Academy of Gauteng in Johannesburg
• 3 day residency at the Amy Foundation in Cape Town South Africa teaching basic improvisation skills and specializing in jazz music from South Africa (2025)
• Assistant teacher for several weeklong summer technology courses in Finale, SmartMusic and Applications for Music Education

 Outreach

• Boston Higashi School, Boston Arts Academy, Amy Biehl Foundation (Cape Town), Music Academy of Gauteng (Johannesburg), Mara-a-Pula School (Botswana), Jazz Education Network, Shared Interest (New York based micro financing for South Africa), South Africa Partners (Boston based organization promoting South Africa business), Celebrate Milton, Berklee College of Music, Concerned Artists for Cultural Advancement (Pretoria), City School (Boston)

 Publications

• Worcester Polytechnic Alumni Magazine feature article (1992)
• Jazz History Database online interview and bio http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/content/musicians/sinicrope_bob/index.html  (2009)
• JazzED magazine cover and article/interview Sharing the Gift of Music (2008)
• JazzED magazine July Tips for a Successful School Jazz Program (2012)
• SBO magazine article/interview Technology and Jazz Education in High Gear (2012)
• BassPlayer magazine article/interview – In a Silent Way (2006)
• ISB magazine (International Society of Bassists) book review – Jazz Bass Masters of the 1950s (2009)
• DownBeat magazine October brief interview in a compilation article about how to learn to play jazz (2010)
• Johnny Dyani Biography (contributed a chapter on the recordings in this South African bassist’s biography) (2003)
• Jazz Cookbook contributed Tips for a Successful School Jazz Program  (2013)
• Numerous articles on Milton Academy jazz in Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Patriot Ledger
• Case study subject for a Berklee online course Project Management for Musicians (2011)
• Pathways towards Greatness Jazz Improvisation interactive online books for MakeMusic Cloud used in 63 countries (2000 – ongoing)
• Walking Jazz Bass Line Construction books published by SherMusic (2023 – ongoing)

 Education and Studies

• BS Mathematics Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1971)
• M Ed Math Education Boston University (1976)
• Several Berklee College of Music courses in teacher training, sequencing, World Percussion, Finale Music notation, Improvisation (1972 – 2012)
• New England Conservatory Third Stream studies (1978)
• National Endowment for the Arts Study Grant for bass studies with Rufus Reid (1988)
• The Inner Game of Music weeklong course at Cincinnati Conservatory (1990)
• Banff Center for the Arts 4 week course in Jazz and Effortless Mastery (2000)
• Several weeklong music technology courses in Finale, SmartMusic, Digital Audio techniques, Applications for Music Education, Summercore
• Private studies with Bob Gullotti (drums), Charlie Banacos (improvisation), Mick Goodrick (guitar), Jerry Bergonzi (Improvisation), John Coffey (trombone)
• Attendance at Jazz Education annual international conferences 1984 – 2026 (except for 1992)

Professional Performances

• Leader of Bob Sinicrope Trio (1992 – present)
• Leader of The World Leaders  World Music septet/octet (1998 – present)
• Leader of SoundsGlobal World Music trio/quartet (2005 – present)
• Performances with Shirley Bassey, Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Eckstine, Jon Faddis, Aaron Goldberg, Tiny Grimes, Abdullah Ibrahim, Papa Jo Jones, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Andy Narell, Babatunde Olatunji, Chris Potter, the Boston Pops, Bobby Sanabria, and the Artie Shaw Band. 
• Performances at RegattaBar, Scullers, Ryles, Sandy’s Jazz Revival, Symphony Hall, Berklee Performance Center, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Green Dolphin (Cape Town), Lincoln Center Plaza (New York), Crescent Jazz Festival (Utah), Famous Door (New Orleans), Bulls Head (London), Jazz Education Network (Atlanta, New Orleans)