Justin Binek
A Dedicated Voice Instructor
Justin Binek is an internationally renowned jazz and classical singer, pianist, educator, clinician, and composer/arranger. He is a frequent presenter and performer at the Jazz Education Network's annual conferences, and has contributed significantly to the field of vocal jazz pedagogy, whole writings include "The Art and Craft of Scat Singing and Melodic Alteration" (published in Diana Spradling's Jazz Singing: Developing Artistry and Authenticity, Sound Music Publications, 2007), "Vocal Pedagogy for the Jazz Singer" (co-written with Diana Spradling, published in the Choral Journal, 2015), and his 2017 Dissertation, "The evolution of Ella Fitzgerald's syllabic choices in scat singing: a critical analysis of her Decca recordings, 1943-1952." He is also a featured in-app clinician on Michele Weir's ScatAbility app for iOS.
His European quartet (featuring pianist Ewout Pierreux, bassist Jos Machtel, and drummer Toni Vitacolonna) released the album “Songbook” in 2013, he was a guest artist at the 2013 and 2016 Standard Bank National Jazz Festivals in Grahamstown, South Africa, and his trio (featuring bassist Micah Jones and drummer Erik Johnson) performed at the 2014 JEN Conference in Dallas. Justin served as the director of the New Jersey Honors Jazz Choir from 2007 to 2013, and he has directed numerous other state- and region-level honors choirs, earning a 2020 DownBeat Student Music Award for Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble Outstanding Performance with the 2019 Oklahoma All-State Jazz Choir.
He serves on the faculties of the Halewynstichting Jazz Workshop in Dworp, Belgium; the Tiffin University Summer Camp in Tiffin, Ohio; and the Jazz Harmony Retreat in Creston, Iowa. Justin is also a featured in-app clinician on Michele Weir's new ScatAbility app for iOS, the first voice-specific jazz improv practice app for mobile devices. Notable scholarly works include his 2017 dissertation, "The evolution of Ella Fitzgerald's syllabic choices in scat singing: a critical analysis of her Decca recordings, 1943-1952," and the original song "Oote" and the accompanying analysis "Jan Hanlo's Oote and Jazz Music: A Compositional Journey," published in Ode aan Oote (Uitgelezen Boeken, 2016).
Justin currently serves on the faculty of Kansas City Kansas Community College as an Associate Professor of Music specializing in Music Theory and Jazz Improvisation, where his students have earned multiple DownBeat Student Music Awards. He received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance with a Jazz Studies emphasis and a minor in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas in 2017; at UNT, he served as a Doctoral Teaching Fellow, teaching undergraduate and graduate Applied Jazz Voice lessons, undergraduate and graduate classes in the vocal jazz curriculum, and directed vocal jazz ensembles.
