These past copy months I was busy auditioning and talking with my friends and family about my future to decide what was best for myself and my family.  When I wasn't auditioning or preparing for auditions, I had the opportunity to do some other travel.  In March, I lead the Fresno State basketball band in Las Vegas for the annual Mountain West Tournament.  The students were great and they represented their university well.  Also in March, I played at the annual Lawrence Sutherland Fresno State Wind Festival.  During this time, I also gave some small clinics with some middle school bands in the central valley.  

Lastly, I officially graduated from Fresno State in May.  It was a proud day for me and my family, and I look forward to the future.  

I wanted to give a quick update on the last couple months.  First off, I am proud to announce that i finished my Master's degree with distinction at Fresno State this past December.  It was a great opportunity to go back to my Alma Mater and work with great faculty and students.  I would like to especially thank Dr. Gary Gilroy for being a great mentor, teacher, and colleague.  His council and advice has been invaluable for both my Master's degree and preparing for doctoral applications.

This past semester I had the unique opportunity to study Percy Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy with Dr. Gary Gilroy and my fellow graduate conducting student colleagues.  It was a wonderful experience to work through each movement and reading Frederick Fennell's articles in the Instrumentalist from back in the early 80's.  We also studied a rehearsal from 1987 of the United States Navy band working with Dr. Fennell himself.  Reading his writing and watching him rehearse had a profound affect on me.  He has done so much for wind music, and he is a huge inspiration to many musicians around the world.  It has been almost 10 years since he passed (December 7th, 2004), and I wanted to take an opportunity to thank and remember him for his contributions.  

Back to Lincolnshire Posy, here at Fresno State, my colleagues and I all took turns conducting a movement of the work.  It was a great learning opportunity for both the conductors and members of the ensemble.  I just want to say congrats to my fellow colleagues on a great performance.  Click on the link below to see my movement of Lincolnshire Posy (movement V).         

These past couple of moments have been a very busy time for me with finishing my master's degree, teaching the Bulldog Marching Band (BMB), and working on Doctor of Musical Arts degree program applications.  I had the great opportunity to work with Fresno State's Symphonic Band this semester an Jan Van der Roost's Rikudim.  Here is a picture from the performance.    

I also put together a conducting workshop at Fresno State to help undergraduates.  Getting good podium is always hard to find in college, and I felt that it was important to help students as well as myself develop my skills as a conductor.  Below are a few pictures of me working with undergraduates.

Marching band season has arrived.  Many programs across the country have completed their band camps and the initial preparations for the 2014 season.  I encourage directors, students, and staff to remember that marching band isn't about marching the perfect drill, playing all the right notes all the time (that would be nice), or winning trophy's.  The marching band activity is an art form that cultivates teamwork and camaraderie with its participants that is unique to other ensembles while encouraging performance and excellence.  The different and unique medium of marching band allows people to be involved in music who don't want to pursue music as a career.  I always admire college marching and/or concert band members who are NOT music majors.  They understand the importance of having music in their lives and make a commitment to stay involved in the arts.  I try to share my passion of music and performance to my students and colleagues.  Stay true to the music and yourself.  Good luck to all the programs!!  

        The past few days I attended the Art of Wind Band Teaching Symposium at the University of Minnesota.  First off, I encourage all educators and conductors to attend any type of these symposiums/workshops.  The information you learn and the people you meet is such a wonderful experience that it can really affect how you approach teaching and the art of music all together.  This week I had the opportunity to work with a variety of musicians, and I was fortunate enough to work with the following group of conductors and educators: Craig Kirchhoff, Jack Stamp, Mallory Thompson, Elizabeth Jackson, Richard Floyd, Cheryl Floyd, Jerry Luckhardt, Marianne Ploger, and Laura Sindberg.  It was great to get some feedback on my conducting, and I learned some new ways to approach the art form.  One of the greatest things about experienced educators is their ability to not just identify weaknesses, but SAY the right words to address the weaknesses.  
        In the field of music, it can be very difficult at times to express the right words to your students and ensembles.  Many of us can hear or see a problem, but we don't know what to do to address the problem.  I took many notes on ideas I heard and ways to express teaching points.  Combined with the variety of conductors I saw, I feel a lot more confident in not only my own conducting, but my ability to identify problems and how to address them.  As I go forward in my musical career, this will greatly enhance my ability to critique myself as well as help others become more effective communicators on the podium.  

        Conducting is Communication.  Communication is one of the most important aspects in all professions and relationships.  Effective communication is so important in all aspects of our lives and a skill that should be continually developed.  If we as musicians take the time to communicate effectively to both our fellow musicians and our audiences, then we can have a larger impact on the not only the musical performances, but in the development of enriching each others lives and the society we live in.  

Welcome to my new website that was created in the summer of 2014 while on summer break in Tacoma!  This website is my professional site that will be used to not only help highlight my career, but also a way for me to communicate to the community.  I will be updating readers on my endeavors, providing some personal professional insight, and sharing musical information that can be used to help others facilitate stronger performance.  Please feel free to comment, ask questions, or share my posts with others.  I enjoy what I do as a musician and performer, and I'm excited about the future of bands and the arts in general.  Thanks for visiting my website and blog.  Best Wishes!

"...to be Great is to be Misunderstood."
Bryan Raya