I’m Danny Gutierrez, a voice teacher, choir director, conductor, and clinician based in Nixa, Missouri. I help singers connect what they hear with what they can do next.
I’ve taught voice for 17 years and have worked with students from elementary school through the collegiate level. Today, I lead the choral program at Nixa High School and continue to work with singers and fellow educators around the country. Across those settings, I’ve learned to listen for the person behind the sound—their goals, their experience, and what will help them move forward.
From the rehearsal room to the national stage.
My work has taken me from individual voice lessons and daily rehearsals to national ACDA performances with both middle-school and high-school ensembles. I’ve also led more than 13 All-State conducting engagements and presented at TEDx and regional and national ACDA conferences. Each setting brings different voices and different questions, and those experiences continue to shape the way I teach.
My teaching has been recognized with Teacher of the Year honors from Springfield Public Schools and Southwest Missouri, as well as a finalist designation for Missouri’s state Teacher of the Year award. I’m a two-time recipient of the Missouri Choral Directors Association’s Podium Award and was a semifinalist for the 2025 GRAMMY Music Educator Award.
What matters most in a review is what you can take back to the music. Sometimes that’s a clearer sense of vocal technique or a new way to approach a phrase. Sometimes it’s how an ensemble listens, balances, or communicates together. And sometimes another listener can help you recognize what’s already working and build from there.
Your music, in focus
Let’s find your next step.
With Second Ear, you can share where you are and what you’re working toward. I’ll listen closely, record commentary alongside your singing, and continue with further feedback and practical priorities. My aim is to give you a useful perspective you can return to—and ideas you can put to work.