Melissa Becker

I really enjoyed studying with Helen over the summer. The lessons were extremely helpful and intense. Helen is very concise when identifying and fixing problems with technique and musical issues. After just a few lessons, I came away with a lot of new ideas that I can apply to my playing and teaching.

Melissa Becker is currently a doctoral fellow in Music and Human Learning at the University of Texas at Austin studying string pedagogy and viola with Roger Myers. She received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance and master’s degree in viola performance from Penn State University, where she studied with James Lyon and Tim Deighton.  Before returning to school, Melissa spent four years teaching elementary and middle school orchestra in the public schools in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where she served as principal violist of the Williamsport Symphony. In addition to her classical endeavors, Melissa is also a fiddler, winning the Pennsylvania State Championship in 1999 and playing with Black Bar Crossing, a Celtic band.