Roosevelt Griffin III, Ed.D.
Director and Professor of Jazz Studies
Roosevelt Griffin III is a nationally recognized music educator and transformative leader whose life's work centers on building community through music education. A proud alumnus of Northern Illinois University, he now serves as director of jazz studies at NIU, where he is redefining jazz education through innovation, access, community and culture.
Beyond the university, Griffin's leadership extends throughout the region and nation. He is the founder of the Griffin Institute of Performing Arts (NFP) and owner of GI Music LLC. He serves as co-artistic director of VanderCook College of Music's One City Youth Jazz Program, director of youth ensembles for the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and education & community engagement director for the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.
A respected voice in the field, Griffin currently serves as president of the Illinois Music Education Association's Jazz Division and contributes nationally as a board member of the Jazz Education Network and North Central Representative for NAfME's Council for Jazz Education. His service also includes leadership roles with the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Governors State University Center for Performing Arts board of advisors.
His impact has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year Award (Jazz Education Network & Berklee College of Music), the Jefferson Award for Public Service and Distinguished Alumni recognitions from both Concordia University and Northern Illinois University. In 2015, his hometown of Harvey, Illinois, honored his service by renaming a street “Roosevelt Griffin III Avenue.”
Griffin's philosophy of education, which is centered on relationships, access and student voice, has been featured in Teaching Music Magazine, DownBeat, JazzEd and The Instrumentalist. He is a co-author of Teaching Music through Performance: Beginning Jazz Ensembles, Rehearsing the Jazz Band and Harmonizing Ethics in Education.
Griffin continues to champion music as a vehicle for unity and empowering the next generation.
To learn more about Griffin, visit his website.
Credentials
- Northern Illinois University, B.M. in Tuba Performance
- Concordia University, M.A. in School Leadership
- Argosy University, Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership
Duties
- Director of Jazz Studies
- Professor of Jazz Studies
- Student Success Coordinator for CVPA
Contact
815-753-1551 (school)
708-439-1606 (cell)
rgriffin2@niu.edu
Contact Us
Music Building
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - noon
1 - 4:30 p.m.
815-753-1551
music@niu.edu
Austyn V. Menk
Music Admissions Coordinator
815-753-6306
avmenk@niu.edu