Craig Gray
by Craig Gray
June 12, 2006
Craig Gray is the Andover USD #385 District Music Chair and director of the Andover Central High School Instrumental Ensembles. Mr. Gray started his career teaching general music, choir and band at the Progressive School, Fairview Oklahoma, in 1981. He served as the Director of Bands for the Canton Public Schools from 1983 to 1991. Following Canton, Mr. Gray was the Band Director at Waller Junior High School in Enid Oklahoma from 1992 to 1997. Mr. Gray came to Andover in 1997 as the Director of Bands at Andover High School. The District opened the new Andover Central High School in 2001 where he became the director. The Bands of ACHS have earned consecutive superior ratings in the State Large Group Concert Band Competition the past 5 years. At ACHS over 30% of the student body is involved in the Band Program. Mr. Gray’s performance groups have earned over 85 superior ratings in concert, marching and jazz during his 25 year career.
The 2003 ACHS Jaguar Band was selected by a statewide panel of judges to perform at the 2004 Kansas Music Educators Association Winter Conference which was be held in Wichita in February. The band was selected through an audition process in competition with bands from across the State. The ACHS band was one of only three high school concert bands to be selected. The Band presented a concert for the music educators from across the State of Kansas. The organization premiered an original composition by composer Roland Barrett from the University of Oklahoma entitled Roswell, 1947.
Mr. Gray is a member of the Kansas Music Educators Association, Music Educators National Conference, National Band Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Kansas Bandmasters Association, Kansas National Education Association, National Education Association, and the Andover Education Association. He has served as the Band Chair, Audition Site Chair and President of the Red Carpet Band Directors Association, KMEA South Central District Band Chair and the KMEA State Band Chair, Vice President of the Andover Education Association, President of the Andover Education Association, KPAC Commissioner for the 16th District, and Board Member of the Walnut Valley Education Association. Mr. Gray also served as a state-wide foster parent trainer, diversity educator, and has been certified by the Oklahoma Bar Association as a student mediation trainer. He has also served as the director of several scholarship pageants in Oklahoma and judged in both Kansas and Oklahoma for the Miss America Pageant Network.
Mr. Gray has one son, David and has been a foster parent to 37 children.
