Roosevelt Griffin III

Dr. Roosevelt Griffin III, Ed.D., serves as Director and Professor of Jazz Studies within the School of Music at Northern Illinois University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. He concurrently holds the Walter Dyett Chair for Jazz Studies at VanderCook College of Music and directs youth ensembles for both Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.

His research focuses on jazz education pedagogy with deep integration of social-emotional learning, community development through arts, and diversity/inclusion frameworks. Griffin's methodology emphasizes intentionality, care, and love as foundations for musical excellence, documented in publications including Teaching Music through Performance series and Rehearsing the Jazz Band.

Notable awards include the 2022 John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year, 2022 Think Big Educator Award, and 2022-2023 Dr. William P. Foster Community Development Award. His career honors span the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching (2014), Jazz Educator of the Year (2017), and a street renaming in his hometown of Harvey, IL.

As founder of the Griffin Institute of Performing Arts NFP, he provides transformative arts programming across southern Cook County through ensemble rehearsals, weekly 'GI Jams' with professional musicians, and structured mentorship. His student-centered approach has influenced nearly 20 university student-teachers while impacting K-12 music education nationally.