Preston Bailey

PRESTON BAILEY was born in Hollywood and grew up playing music on a variety of instruments. He started performing professionally at the age of 18 and worked for many years in clubs and recording studios, sound stages and concert stages. As a multi-instrumentalist he played with a number of ensembles in various genres from folk to funk, rock to classical, bluegrass to jazz and beyond. He put it all together with Music Americana, a trio that presented a multi-cultural history of American music for school assembly programs throughout California to well over one million students of all ages.

After moving to northern California in 1985, raising a family and returning to school to earn a degree in Music Education along with a Teaching Credential in Music, Preston became a nationally recognized Music Director by resurrecting elementary music programs in Petaluma City Schools in 1992. Starting by himself, after eight years he had built a block music program with four full-time certificated music specialists that included band, choir and classroom music for every student in first through sixth grade in seven elementary schools. He was then transferred to Petaluma Junior High where he served for 15 years as both Music Director and Activities Director.

He has been listed in four different Who’s Who Publications multiple times since 2005 (including Who’s Who In America, Who’s Who In The World, Who’s Who in Education, and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers ). Preston has recorded four albums and is working on a fifth. He retired in 2015. He has two daughters and four grandchildren to whom he is known as Grandude. He retired in 2015.