Professor Larry Jenkins Jr. is a GRAMMY® Award-winning musician, educator, producer, arranger and composer. He is a graduate of both Tennessee State University and Howard University. Since joining the TSU Aristocrat of Bands staff and music department faculty in 2014, Prof. Jenkins has prided himself on positively impacting his students through sharing his love of music and passion for empowering them to “think bigger”. Beyond the classroom, he is an active performer, arranger and recording artist with collaborators including Dubba-AA, 22Gz, Derrick Hodge and many others! He has also arranged and/or composed for countless performances including Crow Medicine Show's New Year's Ryman Concert and for visual media including Spencer Glover’s short film "Message Read", which aired on the FOX Soul Network. He has also had the opportunity to perform across the country as a trumpeter and co-founder of the musical groups 101-G and The Brassville Collective, which recently played at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival in Cape May, NJ in 2023. 

 

Prof. Jenkins is a highly sought after speaker and presenter with recent presentations at the National Museum of African American Music and Carnegie Hall’s Music Educators Workshop, where he joined the workshop’s faculty in 2023. He has also been featured in publications such as Rolling Stone, NPR and American Songwriter and was also named one Yamaha's “40 Under 40” Educators in 2023. Larry co-produced the GRAMMY-winning TSU album THE URBAN HYMNAL and continues to engage in diverse musical collaborations, community projects and unique educational experiences.  This includes leading the TSU Music Business Accelerator Course in May 2024 in partnership with Black Music Action Coalition and the RIAA. In 2024, Prof. Jenkins was elected as a Governor for the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy. He is also the Co-Chair of Education for the chapter.