ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Two band directors at Orange County district high schools have been named semifinalists for a national award to be presented by the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum.
Michael Antmann, Ed.D, the band director at Freedom High School near Orlando, and Bernie Hendricks Jr., director of bands at Ocoee High School, are among 25 semifinalists for the 2025 Music Educator Award.
Antmann is in his 23rd year of music education and his eighth as Freedom High’s band director. The five-time recipient of the NBA Citation of Excellence and president-elect for the Florida Bandmasters Association has received past recognition as Teacher of the Year, as well as the OCPS/Kessler Grand Bohemian Excellence in Teaching Fine Arts Award and several others among his many achievements. It’s not his first time as a semifinalist for this specific award either, having been named previously in 2019 and 2020, according to a news release.
Under Dr. Antmann’s direction, bands have consistently earned superior ratings at Music Performances Assessments and earned performance invitations, including the 2022 Florida Music Education Association President’s Concert Conference and the 2024 CBDNA/NBA Conference Memphis, Tenn. The Freedom Band was also one of seven programs in the U.S. selected as an NBA National Blue Ribbon Division Winner in 2023. Dr. Antmann was a national semi-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Awards in 2019 and 2020. He has received the NBA Citation of Excellence five times, the FBA Tom Bishop Award and Oliver Hobbs Award, Teacher of the Year, and the OCPS/Kessler Grand Bohemian Excellence in Teaching Fine Arts Award. Dr. Antmann is the president-elect for the Florida Bandmasters Association.
25 Semifinalists Announced For The 2025 Music Educator Award | grammy.com (excerpt)
Hendricks is in his 28th year as a music educator and his 20th as director of bands at Ocoee High. His accolades include three Teacher of the Year awards and recognition from School Band and Orchestra Magazine and the Sousa Foundations Legion of Honor, as well as previous roles as a state committee chairperson for the Florida Music Education Association, service to the Orange County fine arts curriculum and his ongoing two-year term as president of the Florida Bandmasters Association, the release states.
Mr. Hendricks has also led his bands to consistently earn superior ratings at Music Performances Assessments. He is completing a two-year term as the president of the Florida Bandmasters Association, of which he also served terms as district secretary and treasurer. He has served on the Orange County fine arts curriculum and leadership teams and the All-County concert and jazz band committees. Mr. Hendricks has served the Florida Music Education Association as a state committee chairperson and member of the state executive board. Notable recognitions include three Teacher of the Year awards, with a district top five in 2017; the School Band and Orchestra Magazine’s “50 Most Influential Directors” for Florida; and the Sousa Foundations Legion of Honor.
25 Semifinalists Announced For The 2025 Music Educator Award | grammy.com (excerpt)
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“OCPS is fortunate to have some of the best-in-field music educators in the country. We are excited for teachers, whose commitment to excellence is the core of our business,” Jason Locker, senior director of OCPS Arts Curriculum Services, said in a statement. “Dr. Antmann and Mr. Hendricks are master educators who exemplify the type of teacher OCPS is committed to providing our students. We are thrilled that they are being recognized at the national level.”
Ten finalists for the award will be announced in December. The ultimate winner will receive a $10,000 honorarium and a matching grant for their school’s music program while the nine remaining finalists will receive a $1,000 honorarium and matching grants as well, according to the release.
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