Michael A. Gabriel is a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Master’s Candidate in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University. In addition to his MSU responsibilities, he is an active clinician and adjudicator. A Florida native, he taught in Broward County Schools for 5 years, most recently at Charles W. Flanagan High School, where he was awarded the Broward County Music Teacher Award by the Barry Manilow Foundation. His school ensembles consistently received Superior ratings, and were lauded for innovative programs and collaborations. The Marching Band was a two-time State Finalist, and the Wind Orchestra was invited to the Music for All-Orlando Invitational in 2023 as a featured ensemble. Gabriel is a zealous advocate of the wind medium and has led premieres of several new works for wind ensembles.

He is a proud advocate for public education. In 2015, he co-founded the Florida Music Education Association Legislative Advocacy Day: an event that continues today in which music educators from all across the state gather at the Florida State Capitol to meet with representatives on legislative points pertinent to education.

He received a BME (Hon.) from Florida State University, where he was a Seminole Torchbearer, Garnet and Gold Scholar, received the CoM Academic Leadership Award, and sat on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and Board of Advisors. In 2015 he co-founded the FMEA Legislative Advocacy Day. His research mentor was Clifford Madsen, for whom he produced a thesis that was awarded a grant by the National Band Association.