Melissa Alderman studied violin from a young age while growing up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. By the time she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance from Appalachian State University, she had taught for seven years, played in a Celtic band, and performed with the Asheville Symphony, for whom she continued to play for three seasons. Presently, she enjoys teaching at the NewArt School and occasionally playing with the Western Piedmont Symphony while raising a family in Hickory.