ABOUT US
The JL Institute gives students the highest level of mentorship, music education, and performance amongst this generation. To have the next era of musicians carry on jazz with homage is what the John Lumpkin Institute offers. We seek to achieve this by offering students the rare opportunity to be a part of a jazz combo, studying repertoire spanning from Louis Armstrong to Charles Mingus, while challenging them to be creative innovators of modern music.
Each student will develop an understanding of their role in music today and how to be effective communicators through the musical story they wish to tell. When we learn from the past, we can create a brighter future. The JLI is a beacon of light within the community, guiding the next generation.
About the Founder
John Lumpkin II is the visionary founder of the John Lumpkin Institute and a dedicated jazz educator, producer, and artist whose work blends modern jazz, gospel, and world music, emphasizing spiritual and rhythmic roots. A Jacksonville native, he holds a Bachelor’s in Jazz Studies from the University of North Florida and a Master’s from Florida State University, and his development was further shaped by elite programs such as the Ravinia Steans Music Institute and Betty Carter Jazz Ahead.
As a drum professor at the University of North Florida, Lumpkin actively shapes the next generation of jazz musicians with real-world experience, historical context, and high-level rigor. Through nonprofits such as the Jazz Discovery Series and the John Lumpkin Institute, he offers concerts, masterclasses, and curricula that connect young artists with mentorship and community engagement, leading many students to prestigious institutions like the Juilliard School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Florida State University.
Centered on being historians, truth seekers, and advocates for excellence, the John Lumpkin Institute is a beacon of light for young jazz artists—building both musical foundation and community, with performance opportunities in Jacksonville and across the country. John Lumpkin II is an artist, mentor, and architect of sound who invites others to build with him, reminding his students: “Put it all into the music, so that way the music now has life.”
