Stephanie Rayl is thrilled to be back at Danielson for her fourth year as Head Choir Director! Mrs. Rayl grew up in Austin, where she attended Westwood High School in Round Rock ISD. Mrs. Rayl is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, where she received degrees in vocal performance and international studies and graduated summa cum laude with honors. During that time, she studied voice, opera, and language at programs in Italy and Austria. She completed her master's degree in music education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While completing her master's studies, she taught voice lessons for undergraduate students at Parkland College and a course in the fine arts for undergraduate education majors at the University of Illinois. Before coming to Danielson, Mrs. Rayl previously taught middle and high school choir in central Illinois. She is an active member of TMEA, ACDA, and TCDA.

Outside of school, Mrs. Rayl loves spending time with her husband and son, traveling, cooking, running, and all things Disney. She is looking forward to another wonderful year at Danielson!

Esther Ki is super excited to be back for her third year of teaching at DMS! She originally grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX and came to Austin where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin. During Ms. Ki’s time at UT, she enjoyed performing with the University of Texas Concert Chorale, Longhorn Singers, and serving as a soprano section leader for the Westminster Presbyterian church. During her time at DMS, choirs under her direction received all superior ratings at UIL as she strives for excellence and passion in making music with her students.

Outside of school, Ms. Ki enjoys serving for her church, going on picnics, kayaking, and trying out new food spots. She can’t wait to share the gift of music with the wonderful students here at DMS!