Saturday February 23, 2008 at 3PM
Guitar Virtuoso, Ray Davies, is Coming to EVERYbody Reads
Kids, parents, everyone! Please join us as we welcome an amazing talent!
Ray Davies: Musician . . .
Ray Davies studied classical guitar at
Grand Valley State University
where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1975. Since then, he studied extensively
with protégés of Andres Segovia, the acclaimed father of classical guitar. His
major teachers include Hope College Professor Larry Malfroid, Argentinian
guitarist Guillermo Fierens and
Eli Kassner, founder of Toronto's Guitar Academy. Ray also attended master
classes with Christopher
Parkening, Oscar Ghiglia and
John Mills.
Most recently, he participated in master classes with
Martha Masters, winner
of the 2003 Guitar Foundation of America Award, at Grand Valley State
University's annual Classical Guitar Workshop
Ray grounds his musicianship in the study of classical guitar. With this strong
base, he continually adds fresh musical experiences to his repertoire. During
the 1980's, he began serious independent study of the forms, history and
dynamics of jazz. In doing so, he studied jazz guitar with
Ted Dunbar at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, jazz saxophone and
theory with Boston-area artist
Paul Combs, improvisation with
Jamey
Abersold, and jazz ensemble as a member of the John Payne Saxophone Choir
(Brookline, MA). He now plays classical guitar duets with Grand Rapids area
guitarist Tao He.
. . . and Teacher
Ray delights in sharing his love of music with others. Ray sees the study of
classical guitar as fundamental to learning any other style of guitar. He
teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced guitarists of all ages. His
teaching draws not only from his mastery of the guitar but from a decade of
experience as a music and general educator. As part of a team of teachers in an
afterschool program at the
Cambridge (MA)
Friends School, he worked with elementary students from pre-school through
fifth grade. In 2000, after earning a master's degree in music education from
the University of Massachusetts
Boston, he became the Cambridge Friends School's guitar instructor as well.
Ray gives lessons from his home in Mt. Pleasant where he is also affiliated with
Central Michigan University's
Community Music School. Ray was a guitar instructor at Hansen's Music House in
Greenville, Michigan from 2003-2006 and teaches a course in Music Appreciation
at Mid-Michigan Community College.