Hennessey band students continue their marching and concert work under their new band director and will also get a taste of jazz and rock band music.

That might pique the interest of some students, said Superintendent Dr. Mike Woods during a special school board meeting last Tuesday.

That was before the board officially hired Adam Ray in a 4-0 vote as band director for the rest of the school year.

Ray directed the Pride of Hennessey Monday in the OSSAA regional marching competition at Skiatook.

The band got an “excellent” rating, wrote Ray in an email to the Times & Free Press Monday evening. That was “due to amazing support from parents and community members,” he wrote.

Freshman Raven Bedford also got a “superior” rating for her color guard solo.

Superior is the highest rating on a five-rating scale. Excellent is the second-highest rating.

Woods said Ray will need to get an emergency certification to teach and also said he was unable to get a board quorum before Monday afternoon in order to hire Ray before the competition.

Ray was not at the board meeting.

Board members present were: President Patrick Griffin, Vice President Dr. James M. Matousek, Clerk Luke Lough and Joe Garrison. Absent was Cristopher Choate.  

Band Parents Became Teachers

Woods said he was thankful that parents Dr. Charlie Ferrell and Dr. Samantha Moery stepped in and taught those band classes.

Ferrell directed the band and Moery worked with the flag team.

Second-year band instructor Matthew Houston resigned “effective immediately” Oct. 8.

Two applicants were interviewed for the job by a committee that included HHS Principal Angela Avila, Choral Director Beth Berkenbile, Athletic Director Paul Hix and band parents Ferrell and Moery.

There were two more applicants after that committee met and chose Ray, said Woods, who also attended some of those meetings.

About New Director

“I’ve served as a bandleader since I was assistant jazz director during graduate school and ran rehearsals with one of the big band jazz ensembles at UCO,” said Ray, who lives in Oklahoma City.

He graduated from OBU in 2005 with a bachelor of musical arts and from UCO in 2008 with a master of jazz studies and commercial music production.

Ray said “the saxophone is my main instrument.”

He has regularly worked as a session musician on the sax and also “professionally on keys, guitar, clarinet, flute and vocals.”

The new director has been playing professionally since he was 16 and has performed as a “sideman” in “pop, rock, country, jazz, blues, funk, soul and church music.”

Since 2008 he has been the principal, videographer and photographer for Atomic Video Marketing in Oklahoma City.

He was a media coordinator and marketing specialist/videographer/photographer for Cornerstone Home Lending, 2016-18 and Koch Communications, 2014-16. He also worked for The Oklahoman as content digital marketing specialist 2011-14.

He has received three Addy Awards for his TV/Film/Radio and marketing awards and is skilled in video/audio/film production, as well as marketing design.