Gracie Hays

Biography

Gracie Hays is a dedicated educator, accomplished musician, and advocate for artistic excellence. She holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from Berklee College of Music, where she attended with several scholarships for her studies.

Hays began her musical journey singing and performing in musical theatre, alongside mastering the violin. She competed in fiddle competitions throughout her home state of Mississippi and was even a finalist in a local radio competition, which led to her opening for Blake Shelton at the age of 14. Gracie was also a member of the Gulf Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra from the age of six to eighteen and participated in her high school's award-winning choir program, winning several gold and silver national medals. For her accomplishments as a violinist, she was honored in 2011 with the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin by world-renowned Folk and Americana musician Mark O'Connor, recognizing her talent and promise.

Gracie initially pursued audio engineering as a minor in her undergraduate studies to become a self-sufficient artist, later deepening her expertise through graduate studies to refine her technical and production skills, thus her background as a musician gives her a unique perspective in the audio engineering field. She has collaborated with renowned artists and contributed to over 35 commercially released tracks. In the classroom, Gracie blends technical proficiency with artistic understanding and innovation in her teaching.

Working as a producer, mixing engineer, and live sound engineer—recording string sections from home, running large-scale concert events, and freelancing in the live sound industry—has given her the real-world experience to complement her classroom instruction. As a professor, she empowers students with the skills to succeed in the music industry, focusing on technical expertise, individualistic creative expression, and practical application. Gracie inspires the next generation of musicians and audio engineers to make meaningful contributions to the fields of audio and music.