Beloved Blue Island, Illinois high school music teacher is a finalist for Grammy
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. (CBS) -- Next month, Dr. Justin Antos will be rubbing elbows with Beyonce and Taylor Swift at the Grammy Awards—and it will not be for what he is doing in the recording studio, but for his accomplishments in the classroom.
For 16 years, Antos has been the music teacher and the director of bands and orchestras at Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island. Under his direction, Antos' students have won numerous awards.
The band has been undefeated in competitions for three separate seasons, and recently, the band won its 50th first-place victory since the competitive marching band was formed at Eisenhower High 10 years ago.
"The trophies are nice, but they collect dust," Antos said. "What doesn't collect dust are the memories we made as we pursued excellence."
And the students say they're all better off for it.
"He's helped us all become like a family, and I truly believe that will be one of my core memories of high school," said Eisenhower High School senior Makenna Murphy.
Antos' excellence in teaching, and passion for music, have led him to be among the 10 finalists for the 2025 Music Educator Award—given by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum.
"Most band directors should look at Dr. Antos and be like, 'OK, like how can I be more like him?'" said Murphy, "because he is truly one of the greatest people that I know."
This is the third time Antos has been nominated for the Grammy Award in the music educator category—and his students are hoping the third time is the charm.
"He deserves it," said Eisenhower High School junior Khriz Figueroa. "I mean, he's always doing something for somebody, and doing events, and he plays in his own band. If anyone deserve it, it's him."
In 2024, Antos received the CMA Music Teacher of Excellence Award at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
"It's bizarre because none of us go into teaching, especially teaching music, thinking like anything like this is going to happen. I just feel very humbled that other people think as highly of me as they do," Antos said. "I just want to thank the students because without them, you know, I'm not this music teacher sitting before you today."
A Grammy win would be music to Antos' ears—and his pockets. He would get $10,000 and Eisenhower High would receive a $10,000 matching school grant.
"It's great to represent Eisenhower and this community on the national stage, and hopefully we can bring it home in 2025," said Antos.
