105. Annie Ray, Orchestra Director at Annandale HS in Virginia and 2024 Music Educator Grammy Award Winner discusses her unique teaching approach and more.

Episode 105 — Annie Ray: Innovation, Inclusion, and
Impact in Orchestra Education


In this powerful episode, we sit down with Annie Ray, 2024 GRAMMY
Music Educator Award winner and Orchestra Director at Annandale
High School in Fairfax County, VA. Annie shares how she’s
redefining access to music education through groundbreaking
programs like the Fairfax Parent Orchestra and Crescendo
Orchestra—designed for students with significant disabilities.





A nationally recognized speaker and advocate, Annie talks about
meeting students where they are, leading with empathy, and
balancing motherhood and music education. Her passion and
innovation are reshaping what’s possible in the orchestra
classroom.


Tune in for an inspiring conversation with one of today’s most
impactful music educators





— BIOGRAPHY —


Annie Ray currently serves as both the Orchestra Director and
Performing Arts Department Chair at Annandale High School (AHS)
in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. Annie is an
advocate for providing universal access to quality music
education and is known for founding and developing creative
opportunities to make music accessible to students of all
demographics. 





Her establishment of the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education
Parent Orchestra annually teaches about 225 caregivers in FCPS to
learn to play their child’s instrument and provides mentorship to
upcoming music teachers. Annie also founded the Crescendo
Orchestra program to make Orchestra curriculum accessible to
students with significant developmental or intellectual
disabilities. In April 2020, TEDx invited Annie to give the talk,
The Sounds of Success, based on her approach in the classroom and
what it means to meet all students where they are at. 


Annie is a highly sought after keynote speaker and headliner at
over 50 music and general education conferences from 2023-2025
alone, regular guest lecturer and artist-in-residence at the
collegiate level, and an impactful performing arts advocate at
the state and national level. Her accolades include being named
the 2024 GRAMMY Music Educator Award winner, Yamaha “40 Under 40”
class of 2025, recipient of the Dr. Alice M. Hammel Inclusion in
Music Education Award, and a four time Teacher of the Year winner
including the 2023 FCPS Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year
for her work with historically resilient communities and equity
in education. Annie is the co-founder of Motherhood and Music
Education and is a member of the StringRise professional
development team.


Her mentors include Dennis Langevin, Brian Coatney, Dr. Elizabeth
Chappell, Dr. Jaymee Haefner, and Naoko Nakamura. She is an
active professional harpist, proud University of North Texas
alumna, and currently resides in Arlington, Virginia with her
husband Dr. Irving Ray and their daughters Eloise and Millie.
Annie is an adventurer at heart, and her biggest bucket list item
is to one day win The Amazing Race.





https://www.motherhoodandmusiceducation.com/





— REFERRAL LINKS —


Ready for your next orchestra trip? Kaleidoscope Adventures has
been planning performance travel beyond expectations for more
than 30 years. 


⁠https://www.kaleidoscopeadventures.com/the-orchestra-teacher-podcast/⁠





Looking for things on Amazon?  Use my referral link:


⁠https://amzn.to/3RkfRLk⁠





Do you keep a monthly budget?  If not, try You Need a
Budget! 


⁠https://tinyurl.com/TheOrchestraTeacherYNAB⁠





Do you have cable?  Cut the cord and check out YouTube
TV!  It works on mobile, Smart TVs, the web and more!


⁠https://tv.youtube.com/referral/r22irzcuy7jshi⁠





Resources and more information at ⁠www.orchestrateacher.net⁠





#TheOrchestraTeacherPodcast #MusicEducation #PodcastForTeachers
#OrchestraPodcast #MusicTeacherLife #PodcastForEducators
#StringTeacherPodcast #MusicEdPodcast #TeacherPodcast


#OrchestraTeacher #StringEducation #OrchestraLife #StringPlayers
#StringTeacherLife #OrchestraClass #TeachingStrings #MusicEd
#TeachingMusic #StringsMatter