Michael Ray is an educator, musician, and composer with a lifelong dedication to music. At Augusta Preparatory Day School and Savannah Country Day School, he taught chorus, prepared students for AP music theory, and music directed more than 40 shows. As Executive Director of the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Augusta, GA, Michael led transformative programs for at-risk youth. At the Joy of Music School, he is honored to work alongside a strong board, top-notch staff, dedicated volunteers, and a wonderfully tight-knit community.

Michael Ray holds a Bachelor of Music from Ohio University and a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Tennessee, where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and as a Graduate Student Senator, composed the original sci-fi musical The Event: A Musical Journey, and was inducted into National Music Honor Society Pi Kappa Lambda.

Michael is married to Dani Ray, grant writer for Centro Hispano de East Tennessee, and together they have two sons, MJ and Max, who proudly attend Dogwood Elementary School.