Biography
Dr. Russell L. Robinson is Emeritus Professor of Music Education at the University of Florida, where he was the Area Head of Music Education and taught graduate and undergraduate courses from 1984-2016. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Drury University, Springfield, Missouri, and the Masters and Ph.D. in Music Education degrees from the University of Miami. Well-known for his innovative and practical teaching and conducting techniques, Dr. Robinson has made over 300 appearances as a conductor, speaker and presenter at festivals, workshops, state, regional and national conferences of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and internationally, including Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Italy, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Africa, Bulgaria, Poland, Qatar, Austria, and China. His invited conducting appearances have included Carnegie Hall (6 times), Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the White House, and Boston’s Symphony Hall.
Robinson is past President of the Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA), Interim Associate Dean for the UF College of the Arts, and National Collegiate Chair for NAfME. After several professional trips to Africa, Dr. Robinson created an "institutional linkage" program with Kenyatta University (Nairobi, Kenya), that brought Duncan Miano Wambugu to UF to pursue his Ph.D. with Robinson, and together, they founded the UF Africa Choir in 2009. Now, under its third director from Kenyatta University, the Africa Choir continues at UF to this day, presenting the "real" music of Eastern and Southern Africa. From 2010-2016, he and his wife, Brenda, were the Directors of the Teach the World Study Abroad program that they founded at UF. The annual program took more than 100 education interns to international schools in Italy and France. Dr. Robinson has been an exclusive clinician/adjudicator for Festival Disney Choral Festivals at Walt Disneyworld since 2004, and he has conducted the classical choral studio recordings for Warner Bros. Publications, Lawson-Gould and Alfred Publishing.
Professor Robinson has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: the UF College of the Arts Teacher of the Year, the Doctoral Adviser/Mentor Award, the Outstanding Alumnus Award for Career Achievement from Drury University, the UF Research Foundation Professorship, the UF College of Education's Scholarship of Engagement award, and the FMEA Leadership Award. In 2016, Dr. Robinson was inducted into the Florida Music Educators Hall of Fame, and was the first College of the Arts recipient of the University of Florida Provost's Preeminent Faculty award, presented to him by Provost Joseph Glover. In 2018, he and his wife, Brenda, established an annual Russell Robinson Music Education Scholarship for a graduating senior at Cassville (MO) High School where Robinson began his music teaching career (1974-1981).
Dr. Robinson is a published author, composer and arranger with over 600 publications in the catalogues of Warner Bros., Shawnee Press, Hal Leonard, Mark Foster, Carl Fischer, Heritage Music Press, Colla Voce, Walton, Alliance Music, Alfred Publishing, Bri-Lee Music, and Belwin Publications, and he has been the recipient of numerous ASCAP composer/arranger awards. Dr. Robinson's instructional DVD's Creative Rehearsal Techniques for Today's Choral Classroom, Jazz Style and Improvisation for Choirs, Middle School Singers: Turning Their Energy Into Wonderful Choirs! and his books, The Complete Choral Warm-up Book, co-authored with composer, Jay Althouse, and Songwriting Made Easy!, are published by Alfred Publications. A book and CD for classroom teachers, Creating Poetry and Songs to Teach ANYTHING! is published by Superior Educational Publishing, and his books, I Know Sousa, Not Sopranos! A Survival Guide for the Band Director Teaching Choirs!, Quick Start Choral Warm-Ups (2017) and Sing a Merry Christmas (2018) a collection of 8 holiday songs for middle school mixed voices, are published by Heritage Music Press. Dr. Robinson’s website is: www.RussellRobinson.com