Yamaha Honors Music Educators with Prestigious Legacy in Education Award

By SBO+ Staff

Yamaha bestowed the company’s prestigious Legacy in Education Award on Marc Dicciani and Tom Aungst at the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), held November 13-16 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Presented by John Wittmann, senior director, Artist Relations and Education, Yamaha, and Greg Crane, manager, Artist Relations, Yamaha Acoustic/DTX Drums, Yamaha, the award recognizes distinguished Yamaha Artists and music educators for their extraordinary service to, and impact on, the field of music education.

“Marc and Tom are more than deserving of this recognition for their unwavering dedication to music education,” said Wittmann. “They are wonderful examples of leaders who dedicate their lives to teaching others, and we couldn’t be happier to present them with this award for their service to the arts.”

Marc Dicciani’s contributions as an educator, drummer, clinician and author have been impactful on the lives of countless percussion students and organizations. He has led a fruitful career as a professional drummer and has made concert appearances with a wide variety of artists, including jazz musicians Phil Woods, Al Vizzutti and Diane Schuur; singers Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Natalie Cole; pop artists Boyz II Men, the Spinners and Joan Jett, as well as countless orchestras. Dicciani has also lectured, performed and conducted clinics at several universities across the country. Currently, he is the dean of the College of Performing Arts at The University of The Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia, as well as a professor of Drumset and Music Business. In addition, Dicciani directs the university’s bucket-drum ensemble called Rumble and a salsa ensemble, and produces the annual high school and college jazz festivals. He joined the Yamaha artist roster in 2004.

As a teacher and mentor, Tom Aungst has dedicated countless hours toward the education and development of his students, colleagues and peers. Aungst has been involved in the Dartmouth, Massachusetts school system for the past 24 years and currently serves as the director of Percussion at Dartmouth Public Schools. Under his direction, Dartmouth has participated in the WGI indoor percussion activity since 1998, capturing five World Class Percussion Championships in 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2014, and has consistently placed in the top three. Aungst is the program facilitator and battery arranger for The Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps, as well as a member of The Cadets, Drum Corps International and the WGI Hall of Fame. He joined the Yamaha artist roster in 2000.