Rachel CW Hecker
Born in Chicago, Rachel CW Hecker began Suzuki violin lessons at age 4 with Rebecca McFaul. At the age of 11 she
moved with her family to Indiana, and continued studies at the Western Springs School of Talent Education with
Edward Krietman and Thomas Wermuth. While at W.S.S.T.E., Rachel was involved in the violin groups Allegro! and
the Chicago Consort, touring in Minnesota, Indiana, England and France. In order to travel the three hours to
her violin lessons at W.S.S.T.E., Rachel was homeschooled until she was 16, when she entered public school in
rural Indiana and began studies with Andrew Smith at Valparaiso University.
As a child, each summer Rachel attended the American Suzuki Institute held in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin. While there,
she worked with Timothy Durbin, Betsy Stuen-Walker, Mark Bjork, and Sarah Smith, just to name a few. Rachel also
attended the Stamford International Music Festival in Stamford, England, Masterworks Festival in Winona Lake,
IN, Credo Chamber Music Camp in Oberlin, OH, and ARIA International Music Festival in Muncie, IN. She was also
very active in the Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2002-2006, holding the concertmaster position
from 2005-2006.
Miss Rachel received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Utah State University in 2006, studying with
Rebecca McFaul and the Fry Street Quartet. Rachel completed her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance
and Pedagogy in 2012 from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and worked as a graduate teaching assistant
and student to Oswald Lehnert and Margaret Soper Gutierrez, and was also a student to Charles Wetherbee. She
has completed Suzuki training with Judy Weigert Bossuat in ECC and Book 1, and Books 2 and 3 with Mr. William
Starr.
Rachel’s teaching philosophy is that musical lessons teach dedication, persistence, and determination, while learning
a skill that can bring joy to oneself and others. Rachel is constantly teaching her students to look for the
most efficient and effective ways to practice, and to have fun in the process! Rachel has been teaching both
privately and in schools since 2007.
When not teaching, Rachel enjoys being outdoors, traveling, drinking lots of tea, reading, and learning how to homestead.