Michael has been active in Baptist churches in Texas, Minnesota, and Florida, having served in such roles as Sunday School teacher, deacon, and in church music ministry.  Saved and baptized while a grade-schooler in Texas, he went on to study music in college, earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northwestern State University, and both the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas.  He has worked full-time in college and university music programs since 1998. He is currently the Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Troy University in Alabama.

As a clarinetist, Michael has performed in numerous symphony and opera orchestras, including the Tallahassee Symphony (Florida), Shreveport Symphony (Louisiana), Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and Symphony (North Dakota), Texarkana Symphony (Texas), and the Longview Symphony (Texas).  He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and is actively involved in the work of the National Association of Schools of Music.

Working with his colleague Lois Tomhave, a fellow church musician in Moorhead, Minnesota, Michael arranges and publishes sacred music arrangements through WindSong Music Publishing.  He also enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer (married in 1993) and his twins, Will and Sarah.