Voice Lessons
Dr. Hix is a respected voice teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience. He has worked with students of all levels and in various musical styles including opera/classical, musical theatre, praise and worship, jazz, folk, gospel, and pop. He is an Associate Professor of Voice and the Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the University of New Mexico.
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His students have been admitted to and received scholarships to music schools and conservatories including University of New Mexico, Manhattan School of Music, University of Southern California, Oklahoma City University, Florida State University, University of Missouri Kansas City, Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas among others. His former students have enjoyed great success in performance across the globe. These students have been seen in productions and concerts with LA Opera, Minnesota Opera, Blue Gate Musicals, Oregon Bach Festival, New Mexico Philharmonic, Miami Music Festival, Berlin Opera Academy, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar, Horn in the West, and the Varna International Summer Music Festival in Bulgaria.
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Dr. Hix is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). He has served as the Rio Grande Chapter President, Rio Grande District Governor, and is on the Board of Control for the Texoma Region.
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Please email Hix at mhix@unm.edu to inquire about lessons.
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Student Testimonials
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Dr. Hix played a pivotal role in my progress as a musician during my graduate studies at UNM, which then helped propel me into my current career. After a long break from my studies, I had problems with breath support, projection, and "covering" my sound, but within two years of vocal instruction from Dr. Hix, I learned how to change my body's bad habits into good ones, and I completely transformed as a singer. His vast knowledge of music and the voice, paired with his own performance history, makes for a style of mentorship that is both highly informative and "from experience," direct, yet pleasantly fluid. Whatever your vocal endeavors, if you can teach your body how to do things correctly, you can then emote in a more powerful way. Dr. Hix helped me do this, and I am confident he will help you do the same. He is a gem of an instructor, and I recommend him wholeheartedly.
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Jennifer Perez
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Michael Hix was instrumental in the development of my voice. Specifically, his instruction and advice guided me on singing through the baritone passaggio, discovering how my voice turned, and gave me the tools to transition through the vocal registers in a healthy, repeated way. Michael’s devotion to vocal pedagogy is persistent; frequently, he would reference new materials in our lessons that he had read and discovered. A good instructor needs to be able to describe concepts to their students in multiple ways, and his (Michael’s) hunger for literature has given him an extensive verbal toolbox to approach both beginning and advanced singers.
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Dr. Michael Hix is a gifted vocal mentor. Not only is he experienced in diverse vocal pedagogies and techniques, knowledgeable about the immense vocal literature repertoire and canonical anthologies, but Dr. Hix is, simply put, a wonderful voice teacher. He breaks down abstruse pedagogical jargon and esoteric ideas into tangible solutions that are tailored for the particular student he is teaching. Dr. Hix has a knack for meeting his students where they are and propelling them into the next stages of their vocal development. I have had the privilege of studying with Dr. Hix and observing his teaching for many years, and across the board I have watched his students, of varying degrees, achieve higher levels of vocal production time after time. My years of studying with Dr. Hix have allowed me opportunities to emerge as a young artist and work professionally.
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Connor Murphy-White
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Michael Hix conveys mastery of the art and technique of singing and helps students to achieve their goals in a supportive environment.
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Fred G.
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