Joseph Scagnoli
Director Emeritus of Bands
Joe Scagnoli served as director of bands and professor of music education for 22 years at Ball State University, serving as associate director of the School of Music during his last five years until his retirement in 2006. His teaching career has spanned 44 years including 14 years as a high school band director and 30 years as a college band director. Dr. Scagnoli earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ball State University and his doctorate in music education from Syracuse University. He directed the Ball State “Pride of Mid-America” Marching Band from 1984 to 1999 and conducted the Symphonic Wind Ensemble as well as taught courses in conducting, music education, band arranging, and instrumental methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Scagnoli was director of bands at Selma High School (Selma, IN) and Union-Endicott High School (Endicott, NY) and served for six years as director of bands at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. His Union-Endicott High School Marching Band received national recognition with appearances in the 1973 Orange Bowl Parade and the 1976 Rose Bowl Parade. The 300-piece marching band was also selected to perform at eight NFL halftime shows. Dr. Scagnoli directed the All-American College Band at EPCOT Center, Disney World in Orlando, FL in its inaugural season (1983) and served as a band consultant for Disney World Productions for many years. He was honored by Gov. Mitch Daniels with the Five Star Hoosier of the Year Award for his work as founder and director of Indiana’s Ambassadors of Music. The Indiana All-Star Band and Choir toured Western Europe 12 times over the past 24 years.
Dr. Scagnoli is a past-president of the Indiana Music Educators Association (IMEA) and twice served as president of the Mid-American Conference Band Directors Association. He also served as the Indiana state chairman for the College Band Directors National Association. In 2004 Dr. Scagnoli was honored as the Outstanding University Music Educator of the Year by IMEA. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu Bandmaster’s Honorary and was elected to the Gamma chapter’s Hall of Fame. Dr. Scagnoli is the recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence. He is the recipient of the James B. Calvert “Outstanding Music Educator Award” by the Indiana Wind Symphony in 2016. Dr. Scagnoli served as visiting director of bands at Morehead State University during the 2015-16 school year and was visiting artist/director of bands at Anderson University in the 2017-18 school year.
Dr. Scagnoli is a native Hoosier from Logansport, Indiana and a graduate of Logansport High School. His wife of 57 years, Betsy, is from Goshen, Indiana and was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist for 30 years. Their son, Joe, Jr., was a Ball State University graduate having taught percussion at Anderson University and is currently living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina.