Growing up, Alexander Gray’s mother wouldn’t let him listen to rap music. Although his older sister would let him sneakily listen to the occasional Lil Wayne album, his mother’s preference for gospel led to him becoming a connoisseur of the genre.
Some of the Northwest Indiana native’s favorite gospel acts were John P. Kee, Hezekiah Walker, Vickie Winans and anything that was by a mass choir—which would coincidentally dovetail nicely with his future career path.
Gray serves as the assistant vocal director of vocal music at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, and is the artistic director for Bridges 2 Harmony, the school’s renowned gospel choir.
Bridges 2 Harmony was founded in 2008 by the Rev. James McNear Jr. to provide Roosevelt students a “high-quality musical experience in the gospel genre.” Gray is the third person to guide the choir in its 18-year history.
The 27-year-old is in his fourth year of leading the choir, and this was his first professional teaching job after graduating from Simpson College in Indianola in 2022 with degrees in music education and vocal performance.
Gray said it was” absolutely daunting” to apply for such a high-profile gig in Iowa’s largest school district straight out of college, considering that most Simpson graduates in his position start in a smaller, rural school district and work their way to the larger schools.
“I just had to go for it,” Gray said.
In addition to a job interview, Gray had to teach a class with the Bridges 2 Harmony students to demonstrate his skills. The song he taught was “I Shall Wear a Crown,” written by Thomas Whitfield and arranged by Trey McLaughlin.
It went well, and Gray knew Roosevelt was where he wanted to be. Fortunately, the school felt the same about him.
Bridges 2 Harmony has 31 members this school year. Gospel choir is an elective at Roosevelt, and students attend class/rehearsal every day during the school week.
Gray said Bridges 2 Harmony performs 20-30 times each school year. Besides home concerts, the choir is asked to perform at elementary schools, churches, and other community events.
Gospel music’s roots lie within the Black protestant church, so Bridges 2 Harmony’s multiethnic, multireligious membership can often belie audiences who see them, but that all goes out the window once they hear them.
“We get that reaction a lot,” Gray said, “[People] are like, ‘Oh, why are they cooking so much?’”
Everything gospel fans love about the genre is present when Bridges 2 Harmony performs: harmonies, call-and-response vocals, coordinated movements, and plenty of spirituality.
“The biggest thing this job requires is being intentional and being mindful about everything I do,” Gray said. “And so when I was presented with this choir, I was like, ‘OK, this was not what I expected,’ but in a very good way. The name of the choir is Bridges 2 Harmony, and I realized over the years, ‘Oh, this is truly bringing people together.’”
