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 University of Georgia 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 2010 and 2018 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. He is active as a guest conductor, clinician,and adjudicator, and has presented sessions at state and national conferences. 

Charlene Cannon is entering her 15th year as a music educator and band director and will be starting her 4th year as Band Director at Horizon High School which she opened in 2021. Prior to Horizon, she taught band at Freedom High School and Bridgewater Middle School. Ms. Cannon holds a Master of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Florida State University, where she graduated Magna cum Laude. 

Bands under Ms. Cannon’s direction have earned performance invitations including Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Professional Development Conference (2014, 2016, 2022), National Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. (2019, 2025), Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade (2023), and Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade (2023). She was the Bridgewater Middle School Teacher of the Year (2015) and received the Orange County Public Schools (OCPS)/Kessler Grand Bohemian Excellence in Teaching Fine Arts Award (2015).  Recently, she was named a Yamaha Corporation of America “40 Under 40” Music Educator (2024).

Ms. Cannon is active as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the state of Florida and has presented sessions at conferences for FMEA, Florida Flute Association, National Flute Association, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. In 2018, she was a featured speaker for the “Women in Music” series at the University of Central Florida. Among her other instructional duties at Freedom High School, Ms. Cannon also developed and directed a Flute Choir class and program for three years which included an emphasis on the development of individual musicianship, flute performance fundamentals, and flute pedagogy for high school flutists. 

Ms. Cannon serves in leadership roles for FMEA and the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) and is an active member of the Florida Flute Association (FFA), National Flute Association (NFA), and the National Band Association (NBA). She is also on staff for the Florida Band Director Workshop in Titusville, a retreat-style workshop for band directors which is  focused on conceptual teaching and band pedagogy.  Ms. Cannon is the Tri-M Music Honor Society Chapter Sponsor for Horizon High School as well as the Department Lead for Horizon High School Performing Arts.

Alexander Kaminsky was appointed Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at VanderCook College of Music in 2019 after a highly successful tenure at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.  Previous to that, Kaminsky led the band programs at Buchholz High School, Lincoln High School, Auburndale High School, and Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School, all of which excelled under his direction.  He holds degrees from the University of Florida and Indiana University, is active as an adjudicator, and is in demand as a guest conductor/clinician across the country.

Throughout his 30-year career as a high school band director, Kaminsky’s ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings at all levels of evaluation.  In addition to earning straight Superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) State Concert Band Assessment for an unprecedented 21 years (the last 11 years with both his first and second bands), he is the only director in the history of the FBA to have had three concert bands from one school earn straight Superior ratings at State, and he achieved this three times (2009, 2018, and 2019).

Kaminsky’s high school bands performed at the Midwest Clinic (2005, 2009, 2014, and 2018), ABA National Convention (2014), CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference (2004 and 2014), FMEA State Conference (2014), Music for All National Concert Band Festival (2002 and 2012), and the National Wind Band Festival at Carnegie Hall (2009 and 2018).  In 2018, the Stoneman Douglas Wind Symphony was named a Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors winner as one of only ten 6A bands in the nation.  His marching bands consistently placed in the Florida Marching Band State Championship Finals, winning several FMBC State Championships (including 4 of his last 6 years as a high school band director), as well as being named a finalist band at BOA regional competitions.

Kaminsky has presented his clinic “How Can I Get My Band to Sound Like That” at various conferences and workshops, and his hands-on rehearsal demonstrations for the annual “How To Fix It” series at the FMEA Professional Development Conference received high acclaim with over 900 attendees in 2019.  Most recently, he presented “The Kaminsky Method” at the 2024 Midwest Clinic to a standing-room-only crowd. He has been awarded the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence numerous times and has been recognized with several achievement awards for education including Florida’s 2019 FMEA Secondary Music Educator of the Year Award, FBA Oliver Hobbs Award, FBA Andrew J. Crew Award, National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teacher, Nobel Educator of Distinction, Teacher of the Year, and is listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.

Kaminsky is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician, an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and the American School Band Directors’ Association, and also holds memberships in CBDNA, NBA, and Phi Beta Mu.  He has served on many state and national committees, currently serving on the ABA Sousa/Ostwald Award Committee and the ABA School Bands Task Force, and is the NBA National Student Chapters Advisor.  Kaminsky is a National Board Certified Teacher and has been featured in several publications including The Instrumentalist, Teaching Music, Halftime Magazine, School Band & Orchestra Magazine’s “50 Directors Who Make A Difference,” Home Magazine’s “12 Exceptional Educators,” and most recently, Inspiring a Love of Music published by GIA Publications.

Jim Matthews was the band director at Jackson Middle School in Titusville, Fl for thirty years (1985-2015) before taking on a new position as an Instructional Coach for Band Directors for Brevard Public Schools (2015-2023.) After retiring from the public school system, he started a brand new band program at Park Avenue Christian Academy in Titusville where he currently teaches. He received both his BME (1985) and MME (2001) from The Florida State University.

Mr. Matthews has presented numerous clinics in Brevard County, at FMEA Conferences, opening professional development sessions in several counties throughout Florida, as well as in Virginia, Alabama and Kansas. His focus is usually on Creating Cooperative Culture, Classroom Management Skills, Sound Fundamentals and teaching Musical Expression. His passion is working with students and young directors.

Mr. Matthews has conducted over 60 all-county and honor bands as well as four university honor groups.  He has authored two books: The Achievement System – Alfred Publications and Principles of Musical Performance an ebook on Amazon. He also Co-Founded the Florida Band Director Workshop which is a comprehensive teacher workshop held each June in Titusville, Fl.  Jim served on three FBA committees for many years – Concert Music, Adjudication and Retired Band Directors (which he is still chairing). He is a proud member of FBA, FMEA, and Phi Beta Mu.

Jim is very happily married to the love of his life – Laura Matthews. They have two grown children, and three grandchildren.

Ian Schwindt teaches instrumental music at Titusville High School where he has served for the last twenty-five years. During his tenure, the program has doubled in size and significantly expanded its musical offerings including a full orchestra, AP music theory, and an active chamber ensemble program.  Through these years, THS has been named a Music Demonstration School twice and a Model Arts School by the State of Florida and has earned multiple FMEA enrollment awards. Titusville ensembles consistently earn Superiors at MPAs and have performed at the FMEA President’s Concert and the Stetson Invitational.  

Ian has served as the conductor of the Brevard County Youth Orchestra Symphony and Symphony director for the Creative Young Artists. He also conducts Melodies and Masterpieces each year. Ian remains active as a clinician and adjudicator for both FBA and FOA across the state. He regularly conducts many select ensembles including the Florida State University Summer Music Camps, Honor Bands in Tennessee and Kansas and All-County groups state-wide. One of the founding members of the Florida Band Director Workshop, Ian remains active as an administrator and a faculty member. 

Ian serves in several school and district leadership positions including Department Chair, Brevard County Music Leadership Team and the Brevard County Music Advisory Board. He was elected to serve two terms as FBA District Chairman as well as being appointed as the All-State chair for six years and as a board member of the FSMA state board for four years. He is a past president of the Florida Bandmasters Association. 

As a trombonist, Ian stays active playing and as a featured soloist with multiple central Florida ensembles including Central Florida Winds, Central Florida Brass Band, Southern Winds, and Hot Pink. He also keeps an active trombone studio. Ian’s students have gained entry to multiple all-county and all-state groups as well as prestigious universities including New England Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale, Florida State University and Stetson. He currently serves as the professor of trombone at Bethany Lutheran College.

Ian’s awards include being named the 2016-2017 Florida Music Education Association Secondary Music Educator of the year, 2020 Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor inductee, National Band Association Citation for Excellence, the FBA Oliver Hobbs Award, the FBA Tom Bishop award, and Titusville High School Teacher of the Year. Ian’s professional affiliations include FMEA, FBA, FOA and Phi Beta Mu.