Jan Mixter has taught double bass at Appalachian since 1994. Since 1992 she has served on the faculty of the Cannon Music Camp as well. A native of Michigan, Mrs. Mixter received her Bachelor of Music and graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan School of Music in Ann Arbor. Her primary teacher was Lawrence Hurst (now at Indiana University), with whom she studied for seven years. She has also studied with Peter Spring (Grand Rapids Symphony) and Lynn Peters (North Carolina School of the Arts).

Mrs. Mixter has also been an active performer in many orchestras throughout her musical career, including the Toledo (OH) Symphony, the Flint (MI) Symphony, and the Madison (WI) Symphony. She has served as a contract musician with the Greensboro (NC) Symphony since 1992, and has been Principal Bass with the Hickory Choral Society since 1994. Since coming to North Carolina in 1984, she has performed frequently with the Western Piedmont Symphony, the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, as well as many local and regional ensembles.

Mrs. Mixter is a frequent performer on the Faculty Recital Series at Appalachian, and also teaches the low strings course at the Hayes School of Music. Her students have gone on to be local performers, music therapists, and symphony musicians.