For jazz studies graduate student Shirazette Tinnin, the third time really was the charm.

After her third year in a row auditioning for the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate

All-Stars, she finally secured a spot as the group’s drummer.

Young female jazz musicians from all around the world audition every year for the ensemble, which is sponsored by the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). Tinnin will enter the ranks of “Sisters” alumnae, along with such notable musicians as saxophonist Tia Fuller and drummer Kim Thompson. Thompson currently plays for Beyoncé.

When Tinnin received the phone call letting her know she made the group, the voice on the other end told her that this year’s pool of applicants was the largest ever, with most of them being rhythm section players. He told her that her performance of the up-tempo Miles Davis tune, “Joshua,” put her over the top.

“His exact words were, ‘Man, that was burning!'” Tinnin said.

After two years of rejection letters, Tinnin said that phone call felt pretty great.

As a member of the ensemble, Tinnin will perform at the IAJE conference in Toronto in January, under the mentorship of renowned drummer Sherrie Maricle, who leads an all-female band called The DIVA Jazz Orchestra.

She doesn’t quite know what other experiences will come with being part of the group, but past incarnations of the ensemble have played at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and toured Finland.

For now, Tinnin is taking this opportunity to relax and feel some satisfaction in overcoming the many struggles she’s encountered as a girl in the guy’s world of jazz.

A native of North Carolina, Tinnin first had dreams of being a drummer as a four-year-old after seeing female percussionist Sheila E. on TV. Tinnin didn’t care that she didn’t have a drum set of her own – there were plenty of pots, pans, walls and tables around to function well enough as percussion instruments.

In middle school she started taking the drums seriously, playing in the school band. She became the first female drum captain at her high school and went on to study percussion at Appalachian State University as an undergraduate.

After some time, gigging around her native North Carolina, Tinnin realized she wanted to broaden her horizons, and she learned about NIU from Iajhi

Hampden, a fellow drummer from North Carolina, who got his master’s at NIU.

Tinnin says NIU has brought her the best opportunities of her career, and also some of her worst struggles. Some of her teachers and fellow students couldn’t quite warm up to her style of playing.

“The biggest thing here was [my playing] being too aggressive for a lot of males,” she said. Frustrated by her experiences, Tinnin was driven to get to the next level on her own terms. Her second-place finish in the Sisters of Jazz competition two years ago also spurred her on. The third time around, she was determined to make the band.

With this new item on her resume, Tinnin has plans for furthering her career, but even more importantly, encouraging female drummers to do the same.

“The biggest thing for me is just showing females that they can play the drums,” she said. “It’s not a masculine or feminine thing; it’s just about passion, desire and the love of music.”