Mr. Gray is currently in his 16th year of teaching and 7th year as Percussion Director at Princeton ISD in 2023. Prior to moving to Princeton, Mr. Gray was the Percussion Director at Whitesboro ISD for 9 years.

Mr. Gray teaches beginner percussion classes and assists with concert bands at Southard Middle School, assists with concert bands at Clark Middle School, teaches high school percussion, and assists with marching and concert bands at Princeton High School.

Mr. Gray is a 2008 graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce in Commerce, TX, where he received a master's degree in Music Performance. Mr. Gray worked as a graduate assistant while at TAMU-C, assisting with the Pride Marching Band Percussion Section, Concert Percussion Ensembles, and teaching several private lessons. He also performed with the TAMU-C Percussion Ensemble at the 2006 PASIC Showcase Concert featuring "New and Unknown Works of Minoru Miki" and later recorded a CD of the same name with the TAMU-C Percussion Ensemble.

Mr. Gray is a 2006 graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK, where he received a bachelor's degree in Music Performance. He performed with the marching band, concert band, jazz band, and percussion ensembles. Mr. Gray was an active member of the band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, serving several different officer positions, including President for two years.

Mr. Gray resides in Princeton with his wife, Christina; cats, Lola, Eleanor, and Rosie; and bird, CC.

Ben Cordell is in his third year of classroom teaching in the state of Texas. Before working in Princeton ISD, he completed his student teaching at McKinney North High School, Cockrill Middle School and Scott Johnson Middle School in McKinney ISD. He also worked as a private lesson instructor in Allen and McKinney ISDs.

Mr. Cordell assists with the percussion section of the marching and concert bands at Princeton and Lovelady High Schools, as well as leading the beginning percussion and assisting with the concert bands at Clark Middle School.

Mr. Cordell graduated from Texas Tech University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in music education and performance. While there, he performed as a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the University Orchestra, the Percussion Ensemble, and the Steel Band, “Apocalypso Now.” During his time at Texas Tech, he also spent two summers marching in the front ensemble of the World Class Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps.

Mr. Cordell recently completed a master’s degree in music performance from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY under the instruction of renowned marimbist, composer, and educator Gordon Stout. During his time in Ithaca, Mr. Cordell performed with the percussion ensemble and steel band at the college in addition to several ensembles in the community including the Running to Places theater company and the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes.