Melissa is a classically trained harpist based in Indianapolis. She earned a B.A. in Music from Indiana University and Master's of Music in Harp Performance from Butler University. A musician for more than 30 years, she has worked as a teaching artist for Arts for Learning for 17 years. "I play on a full-size concert harp and perform solo, chamber and orchestral music in venues as small as a client's living room to as large as a concert hall stage," Melissa explains. "School classrooms and auditoriums fit right in the middle of those extremes. In those educational settings, I use the harp to enchant students with my instrument's beautiful sounds and melodies and teach concepts in music, language arts and science." Melissa was the first harpist to receive a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, as well as the first harpist to perform on the Palladium Stage at the Carmel Center of Performing Art. She serves as principal harpist with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra and the Indiana Wind Symphony. "Listening to the harp enriches students by bringing a sound they may have heard on a movie or video game right to their classroom. And it enhances their education by using visual, aural and kinesthetic experiences to learn concepts in music, science and language arts."