Joseph Michael Pignato, Associate Professor at the State University of New York, Oneonta, has presented research on improvisation, composition, and music education in the United States and abroad. He is one of the principal investigators for the Music Learning Profiles Project, an research initiative that documents music learning which occurs outside the bounds of traditional institutional learning. Pignato performs with Martin Gadget, an Israeli experimental quartet. Additionally, working under the moniker u.joe he records drum tracks for DJs, producers, and remix artists, including DJ M A N I K, Mr. Temmtation, and Omsign. Pignato endorses Taye Drums, T-Cymbals, and Boso Drumsticks.