Laura Ray is a music education major at Emmanuel College, with an emphasis in Guitar performance. Laura began playing bluegrass-style guitar at age 13 and took up the banjo at two years later. She took lessons for five years from Lorie Watkins of The Watkins Family, a bluegrass gospel band from Toccoa, GA, before beginning her study of classical guitar in 2006. Also in 2006, Laura studied voice under award-winning Southern Gospel Music Artist Karen Peck Gooch, of Karen Peck and New River. Laura has further fine-tuned her musical and vocal skills by attending the North Georgia School of Gospel Music in Cleveland, GA, two weeks each June for the past six years. In July, 2007, Laura was the instructor for the guitar class at Emmanuel College’s Fine Arts Camp. Laura currently travels and performs with her family bluegrass gospel band, The Rays.  For more information about Laura and her music, visit The Rays official website www.rayfamilymusic.com. MySpace users are also invited to chat with Laura and her family online at www.myspace.com/rayfamilymusic.