Annie Ray on Living On Music: Grammy-Winning Fairfax County Music Educator

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; "Music itself is not the universal language," she says, "but the ACT OF MAKING MUSIC is.” 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 additional creation of the FCPS Parent Orchestra teaches just under 200 caregivers annually to learn to play their student’s instrument and provides mentorship to upcoming music teachers. She created the Crescendo Orchestra program to make Orchestra curriculum accessible to students with significant developmental or intellectual disabilities, in January 2022 this program was featured and acclaimed on the cover of and with an article in the Metro section of The Washington Post. In 2023, she was named the FCPS Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year for her work on equity in education, and in 2024, Annie was named the 2024 Grammy Music Educator Award recipient. About her winning the Grammy: “Most of all I want to thank my students to whom this award actually belongs, the love of making music has been our unity and community. Thank you all for allowing me to guide you in this, I am humbled to accept this award for you all.” Annie currently resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband IRVING and their girls ELOISE and MILLIE.
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