Matt Ehlers (McCallum HS)

Matt Ehlers just finished his thirteenth year at A.N. McCallum High
School and Lamar Middle School Fine Arts Academies in Austin, Texas
where he serves as Associate Band Director/Percussion Director.
Originally from Seward, Nebraska, he graduated Cum Laude with a
degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas. As
Associate Director of Bands at McCallum High School, Ehlers
conducts the Beginner and Advanced Steel Bands, high school and
middle school percussion ensembles, the marching percussion
ensemble, 6th-grade beginning percussion class, and co-directs the
JV Full Orchestra. Ehlers was awarded McCallum High School’s
“Teacher of the Year” award for the 2010-2011 school year.  In
2006, Ehlers founded the annual “Knight of Percussion Benefit
Concert” with the intent to raise money and awareness for a
different local charity each year through a percussion concert
performed by McCallum High School and Lamar Middle School
percussion sections. Ehlers served as board president of the Small
Victories Foundation, a nonprofit organization that empowers
individuals recovering from traumatic brain injuries through
participation in the arts from 2014-2017.  In 2013, with the
help of a Creative Classroom grant, Ehlers founded the thirty-piece
Brazilian Samba School, known as the “Samba Knights,” at McCallum
High School and created a community partnership with the Austin
Samba School. During the summertime, Matt co-directs two annual
youth steel band camps in Austin that he helped create in 2007. You
can find many of his original steel drum compositions and
arrangements at BoxFish Music and Drop6 Media/Row-Loff
Productions.  Matt and his wife Katie live in north Austin
with their daughter Lily. They enjoy spending time outside, a good
BBQ, and attempting various renovations on their house