Raymond E. Oset received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree and a minor in Jazz Studies in 1978 from Central Michigan University and his Masters of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Saginaw Valley State University. Raymond started playing the trumpet at the age of 9 in the East Detroit Public Schools. He began studying privately at the age of 10 with several instructors. Larry Skinner, William Beger, David Bartlett, Gordon Stump, Roger Ingram, Dennis Horton, and Dr. Paul Willworth. Raymond started playing professionally at the age of 13 with various bands. At the age of 19, he became a member of the Austin-Moro Band. Ray has continued playing for many professional shows including, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Mathis, the Four Tops, and the Temptations. Ray has played both in the United States and Europe. He has traveled with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Martha Reeves, the Royal Hannaford Circus, Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band, and Maynard Ferguson and his Big Band Big Bop Nouveau.
As a music educator, Ray started as a High School Band director with the South Lake Public Schools and later taught High School Band at Cousino High School in the Warren Consolidated Schools. Most recently Ray taught Instrumental Music Methods Class for elementary and middle school music at Eastern Michigan University. Currently, Ray is teaching beginning band in four elementary schools in the Anchor Bay Public Schools and an adjunct professor at Rochester College. Ray provides private lessons for brass students and is a consultant with many high school, middle school and elementary bands in Wayne, Oakland, St. Clair, and Macomb Counties. He has been a judge for the bands at the Americas’ Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit for the past 17 years. Ray Oset is an active adjudicator with the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. He has judged in the areas of Concert Band, Orchestra, Marching Band, Jazz Bands, and Solo and Ensemble across the state of Michigan.
