El Dorado School District is excited to welcome Alexander Michaels back to the Wildcat Band program, this time as Band Director. Now in his seventeenth year of music education in South Arkansas, Michaels brings a wealth of experience and passion for music to El Dorado.
A graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, he earned his Bachelor of Music Education in 2009 before continuing his studies at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he obtained a Master of Jazz Performance in 2017. Before returning to El Dorado, Michaels served as the Director of Bands in Crossett, leading successful instrumental music programs.
Beyond the classroom, Michaels is an accomplished performer and advocate for music education. He currently serves as auxiliary bassoonist for the South Arkansas Symphony and has directed the Jazz Orchestra for El Dorado High School Theatre productions, including Hairspray, High School Musical, and Starfish Circus, a collaboration with traveling Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil performers. He also led the community jazz ensemble, The Young at Heart Big Band, until its disbandment in 2019.
Michaels is an active member of several professional music organizations, including Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the Arkansas School Band and Orchestra Association, the Arkansas Bandmasters Association, the Arkansas Jazz Educators, and the Arkansas Educators Association.
He and his wife, Jennifer, who is a middle and high school orchestra director, live in El Dorado, where they are both dedicated to advocating for music education and enriching the local arts community.
The El Dorado School District is thrilled to have Mr. Michaels return to the Wildcat family and looks forward to the impact he will have on students and the music program!