The Jazz Doctor

John F. Maltester has been a music educator for over fifty-five years. He's created and developed award-winning music programs that include concert bands, jazz band, orchestra, marching band, and theory/improvisation classes. He is also the Music Director Emeritus of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, and the Artistic Director/Conductor Emeritus of the Diablo Wind Symphony (now BDWinds). He is one of only two conductors to conduct both the California State Honor Band and Honor Jazz Band. He started playing trombone professionally at sixteen years of age and has played for the Ringling Brother's Circus Band, the Miller Band, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., P.J. Proby, Jim Nabors, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Cleo Laine, Billy Eckstine, Mel Tormé, and Joe Williams. Besides bringing a diverse background of abilities to the conductor's podium, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Parent Teacher Association, the President's award for Lifetime Contribution to Education at Los Medanos College (1999), the Contra Costa County Regional Arts Council award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts (1999), the Outstanding Music Educator award from the CMEA Bay Section (2007/8), the Generations in Jazz Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), and elected into the Californian Alliance of Jazz Hall of Fame (2010). He received the CMEA Bay Section 'Lifetime Achievement in Music Education' award in 2013 and was elected to the Pittsburg Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2018. He is active as a clinician in rehearsal techniques and low brass performance; an adjudicator; and a guest conductor throughout Australia, the Western United States, Hawaii, and Alaska. His publications include "The Basic Guide to Improvisation for Use in the Classroom," "The Concert Band Syllabus," and several articles in national magazines including The Instrumentalist.