Matt Ridenour is a 25-year veteran band director from Michigan. He has taught in the same school district his entire career with experience at both secondary and elementary levels. Ridenour is a graduate of Central Michigan University. Along with his co-teacher, Ridenour created an assessment system used across the country to help band directors assess their students. Additionally, he and his team created a school safety and behavior tracking system called TABS. They are still in the final development and testing stages of that program. Ridenour is a creative thinker in the education world and draws his inspiration from the trenches of the classroom and the school district he serves.