UPDATE: Dr. Jeffery Redding, 48, has been named Music Educator of the Year by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. Dr. Redding was born and raised in Orlando, graduated from Jones High School, and started working at West Orange High School in 1997.
For the first time, the Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum selected two OCPS music directors as semifinalists for the 2019 Music Educator Award. Michael Antmann of Freedom High and Jeffery Redding of West Orange High are two of the 25 semifinalists, chosen from 2,800 nominations. All are being recognized for the life-long impact they have on their students.
Jeffery Redding, Ph.D. in Choral Conducting/Music Education, was a Quarterfinalist for the Grammy Music Educators’ Award in 2016-2018. As the Director of Choral Activities at West Orange High, he has led his choirs in performances at state, regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors’ Association. West Orange choirs have earned first place awards at Heritage Festivals of Gold in California, Chicago, New York and at the Festival of Spirituals in Washington, D.C. While participating in the International Music Festival in Verona, Italy, West Orange received the Gold Award for best choir, with Dr. Redding honored as top director.
The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. A joint partnership and presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the Music Educator Award recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY® Week 2019 with a trip to New York to accept the award and attend the GRAMMYs, plus a $10,000 grant and another $10,000 for the recipient’s school.
Michael Antmann, Ph.D. of Education, is in his 18th year as a music educator, and his third as band director at Freedom High. Bands under Dr. Antmann’s direction have consistently earned superior ratings at Music Performances Assessments and earned performance invitations including the 2004 University of Georgia Middle School Band Festival, the 2006 CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference and the 2011 and 2014 FMEA conferences. He has received the NBA Citation of Excellence, the FBA Tom Bishop Award, Teacher of the Year, and the OCPS/Kessler Grand Bohemian Excellence in Teaching Fine Arts Award.
“OCPS is fortunate to have some of the best-in-field arts teachers in the country. We are excited for both of these teachers, whose commitment to excellence is the core of our business,” said Scott Evans, Senior Director of OCPS Arts Curriculum Services. “Dr. Antmann and Dr. Redding are master music educators who exemplify the type of teacher OCPS is committed to providing to our students. We are thrilled that they are being recognized at the national level.”
