Mr. Murray's Bio 

       Craig Murray is busy as a music teacher at Rio Linda High School, an arranger, and as a performer - playing trumpet for The Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band And Temperance Society, Ltd. and Bass for Crash The Machine.  

         Mr. Murray finished his student teaching at Bear River High School in both Instrumental Music (under the direction of David Ahrens) and Vocal Music (under the direction of Cherry Hayes, MA). He worked with the Jazz Band, Jazz Combo - Vocal Jazz (Jazz Unlimited), the Concert Band, a guitar class, Men's Chorus, and Women's Chorus. His credentials were earned through National University. 

      Previous to student teaching, Mr. Murray worked with Nevada Union High School's instrumental music department for two years (under the direction of Ken Carter). He was the assistant instrumental director of jazz studies. He was charged with the "B" jazz band (those students that were brand new to jazz) and the vocal jazz ensemble. 

      At California State University Sacramento  Mr. Murray studied music education, jazz arranging, and composition. He worked with Professor Kerry Marsh (arranging lessons for vocal and instrumental jazz). Professor Jeff Edom, learning the craft of arranging for marching bands, stand bands and writing drill for the marching band. Mr. Murray also studied with Dr. Stephen Blumberg for advanced composition, which has led him to the desire to obtain his Ph.D. in music composition.

      At California State University Chico, where he earned a Masters in Arts in Music Composition in 2003, he studied with Dr. David Colson, Dr. Ray Barker, Professor Keith Seppanen, Dr. Lloyd Roby, Dr. Jeffery Gemmel and Professor Rocky Winslow. He had a private lesson, where a new major work was required for choir, with Dr. Robert Convery. Mr. Murray also was able to spend time with Dr. George Crumb when he came to CSU Chico to do a new recording of some of his works. Mr. Murray's masters project was to re-score (selected scenes) the SciFi classic Forbidden Planet (with permissions from Turner Entertainment Group).

      Mr. Murray earned a BA in Liberal Studies: Music from the Union Institute & University in 1997. At the Union he studied with John Gonsalves. 

      Mr. Murray also attended Shasta College where he was a soloist in both instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles and was a member of " 'nightwind," an audition only vocal jazz ensemble. He also was a member of the Community college honor band and honor choir. At Brigham Young University he played in the marching band, concert band and a graduate brass choir.

      Mr. Murray hails from Shasta High School, in Redding, California, where he was in the instrumental music department. He played Euphonium and Trumpet. His music classes included: Band, Marching Band, Pep Band, Jazz Band, and the orchestral pit for four musicals (Hello Dolly, Brigadoon, The King and I, and South Pacific). During his tenure at Shasta High he had the great honor to perform two world premieres: "Slava" written by  Leonard Bernstein, and "Norwegian Rhapsody" written by  Clare Grundman.  Mr. Murray was a member of California's All State Honor Band with a solo, a Performer at the Western Division of the MENC  (now National Association of Music Educators) in Anaheim, California, and toured Europe in an audition only ensemble sponsored by America's Youth in Concert. In the AYC tour he was a soloist on a world premiere of Sir William Walton's "Spitfire Prelude and Fugue," and had a solo in this piece, for wind band.

     Mr. Murray is the vocal jazz director, Music Department Chair and the Visual And Performing Arts Chair at Rio Linda High School. His classes have ranged from beginning band/choir/vocal jazz, beginning/advanced guitar, beginning/intermediate/advanced piano to advanced vocal jazz to AP Music Theory. He wrote the initial curriculum for CTE's Sound Engineering, Advanced Sound Engineering, Digital Multimedia, and Advanced Digital Multimedia.

     As part of his continuing education Mr. Murray has been studying with Jeremy Fox, DMA, Jason Alex Smith, MM, and Michele Weir for jazz studies. He has spent two summers with the trio, along with many others, in the Jason and Jeremy's Jazz Theory Bootcamp. He has arranged songs at the workshops: Umbrella In The Rain, Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat, Lay Me Down.

      Recently Hal Leonard Publishing has granted Mr. Murray permission to arrange and self publish four vocal jazz charts. Among them are  Stay Awake (from Mary Poppins/Disney) and I Wanna Be Like You (from Jungle Book/Disney).

     He is an endorsee of MTD Kingston Basses (http://mtdkingston.com/players/index.html) and strings. 

An endorsee of  DNA Bass Amplifiers (http://dnaamps.com/artists/craig-murray/). 

And finally,  he is an endorsee of Bartolini Bass Pickups as an Emerging Artist (https://bartolini.net/artist/craig-murray/). 

2023 - 2024 Schedule for Jazz Vocals

 2023

Date                                           Event                                                               Time                                     Location

2024

Date                                           Event                                                               Time                                     Location

03/09/2024     Combo Rehearsal – for Spring Concert/Swing Tour              8am - 12pm RLHS

03/13/2024     District Festival of the Arts (w/tracks)                                   All day (TBD leave time) TBD

03/21/2024     Spring Concert (Large Gym)                                                   6pm call 7pm Perf RLHS

04/06/2024 Combo Rehearsal for L.A. Swing Tour 8am - Noon RLHS
04/18-21/2024 L.A. Swing Tour-Fullerton Jazz Festival                                  All day (TBD leave time) Anaheim
04/26/2024 TBA Performance for the Superintendent 10am - 1pm Sacramento

05/04/2024     Department Spring Tour – Vallejo Six Flags                      All day (TBD leave time) Vallejo

05/16/2024     Pops Concert / Awards Ceremony (Lg Gym)                        5pm call 6pm Perf RLHS

05/17/2024     National Anthem Auditions                                                   After school RLHS A1

Vocal Jazzers - Will we be doing the LA Swing tour again this year and we will ALSO be doing the Spring Tour to Vallejo (Six Flags).

Fullerton Jazz Festival/Heritage Music Festivals - Anaheim Set List

Rio N.Y.N.
Little Hummingbird, Written by: Julia Dollison & Kerry Marsh, Samba
And So Goes, Arranged by: Kirby Shaw, A Cappella Ballad
Jeannine,  Arranged by: Phil Mattson & Ritchie Cole, BeBop

Vox-One
Oye Como Va, Arranged by: Kirby Shaw
TBD
Bass-Ically Speaking  

Spring Tour Festival Set

Rio N.Y.N. (Trax)
Little Hummingbird, Written by: Julia Dollison & Kerry Marsh
And So Goes, Arranged by: Kirby Shaw
Jeannine,  Arranged by: Phil Mattson & Ritchie Cole

Vox-One
Oye Como Va, Arranged by: Kirby Shaw
TBD
Bass-Ically Speaking

Here is what we are going to do in the Anaheim area this year: Perform at  the Fullerton Jazz Festival, perform at Heritage Music Festivals, Anaheim, go play at Disneyland, have our awards ceremony inside the park.