Music City Drum & Bugle Corps, Winfield Independent Drumline, Sipsey Valley High School Cody Ray is currently the Director of Bands at Sipsey Valley High School. Before joining the Tuscaloosa County School System, he began his teaching career at Corner High School as the Percussion Coordinator and at Music City Drum and Bugle Corps as a Battery Technician, as well as the Director of Bands at Sulligent High School.
Mr. Ray earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, graduating in 2018. While at UAB, Cody was principal percussionist of the Wind Symphony, section leader of the UAB Drumline, and performed with the UAB Percussion Ensemble, UAB Steel Band, and Blazer Band. Cody studied primarily with Dr. Gene Fambrough, Ms. Lauren Teel, Dr. Sue Samuels, and Dr. Sean Murray. He performed at AMEA with the UAB Wind Symphony, as well as a guest musician with the US Army Field Band and Soldier’s Chorus. Cody has had the opportunity to perform with the likes of Michael Burritt, Mark Ford, AndyHarnsberger, and other leaders in the percussion community. He also marched with Music City Drum and Bugle Corps under the instruction of Alan Rice and Chris DeBerry where he was a two time Open Class Finalist. While marching drum corps, Cody also spent two years of WGI marching Double Stop Indoor Percussion where they won the SCGC PIA Championship in 2011. After his marching career, he went on to spend a summer
on staff with Music City Drum and Bugle Corps as a tenor tech and is currently the assistant director of Winfield Independent Drumline. During Winfield Independent’s first year in WGI, they have gone on to become the WGI South Power Regional PIA Silver Medalist, SCGC PIA Silver Medalist, and WGI PIA Semifinalist.
Mr. Ray directs the Sipsey Valley High School Concert Band, as well as The Sipsey Valley Marching Band. His ensembles have consistently earned superior ratings at marching contests, as well as a World Finalist in the Drum Corps International Open Class Finals. He teaches beginning band, concert band, marching band, elementary music, and general music. Cody is a member of the Percussion Arts Society and performs with exclusively Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and Remo Drum Heads.