Many of the challenges of teaching music have the same common denominator: classroom management. This is a common challenge among both beginning and experienced teachers, and is often cited as a common concern among supervising administrators. This session will focus on positive and proactive strategies to manage music ensemble classrooms based in psychology. Participants will leave with tools to eliminate stress and improve student and teacher success.
Michael Antmann
- Biographical Information
Michael Antmann is in his 24th year as a music educator, and his ninth as band director at Freedom High School. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from Florida State University, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Central Florida. Prior to his current position, he served as the Music Resource Teacher for Orange County Public Schools, and as band director at Bridgewater Middle School in Winter Garden, Florida, and Swift Creek Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida.
Ensembles under Dr. Antmann’s direction have earned performance invitations including the UGA Middle School Band Festival (2004), the CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference (2006, 2024), the UCF Music for All Regional Concert Band Festival (2019, 2022), and the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) conference (2011, 2014, 2022). He has been awarded five Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association, the FBA “Tom Bishop Award”, the “Oliver Hobbs Award,” Teacher of the Year, and the OCPS/Kessler Grand Bohemian Excellence in Teaching Fine Arts Awards. He was also a national semi-finalist for the 2019, 2020, and 2025 Grammy Music Educator Awards.
Dr. Antmann is a member of the FMEA, FBA, ASBDA, and NBA. He has served in multiple leadership roles, most recently as the president-elect of FBA. He is an instructor at and co-founder of the Florida Band Director Workshop in Titusville, which is an intensive and interactive workshop focused on conceptual teaching and band pedagogy.