Mike Highfill

Mike was born in California while his father served in the Air Force and moved back to his father's hometown of Greensboro, NC when he was fifteen months old. He has lived in North Carolina since, mostly in Greensboro, but also in Carolina Beach from 2005-2012 and in Sparta, (Alleghany County) from 2012-2014.

Mike's music career began at the age of 10 when he started playing trumpet at Frazier Elementary School. It was in his Jr. High years that he discovered guitar and bass, on both of which he was self-taught. During High School, in addition to trumpet, Mike also played Flue gel horn, French horn, and baritone. He was a diligent, dedicated music student. His horn came home and was used daily. He was definitely a band nerd. With the exception of the seventh grade(where the older kids had first section covered), from elementary through High School he was in the first trumpet section, always competing for first chair and achieving that goal the majority of his young career. He graduated in 1980 from Northeast Guilford High School, and briefly attended UNC-G School of Music.

After working several years managing his father's commercial janitorial business, Mike attended the School of Nursing at Guilford Technical Community College, where he tutored fellow nursing students in biology, pharmacology and nutrition. This led to a twenty-one-year career in clinical nursing, primarily in Critical Care areas, i.e. ER, CCU, Post Anesthesia, and many years in a ventilator hospital. He had the good fortune to be lead EKG and Advanced Cardinal Life Support review instructor for three years at the Surgical Center of Greensboro.

After much soul searching and prayer, Mike decided to retire from nursing in 2010. A church friend owned a screen porch, sun room, and garage door installation business in Carolina Beach and he worked with him until the construction business fell apart locally and nationally. Mike only lost his job, his friend lost his twenty-two year business. Employment opportunities were scarce outside of nursing and he questioned his decision to leave it, but as always, God had a plan that put him where he needed to be. Mike's mom and step-dad became gravely ill at the same time, requiring him to relocate in order to take care of them. His step-dad has since passed away and his mother has returned to her home in Summerfield but still requires help, which he continues to provide.

While Mike's trumpet playing days ended around 1980, his passion for music has never left; he has played guitar and/or bass with many talented musicians and several bands, both secular and Contemporary Christian since. His musical interests are wide and too varied to list but simply put, if the music is good, genre doesn't matter. Mike has been writing songs since High School and has co-written with other musicians, which he continues to the present. It is his absolute belief that music is a God-given gift and therefore is meant to be shared and he looks forward to helping students learn and grow in, and for this art!