Erica MacArthur is an award-winning musician who began studying violin in Ridgecrest at age 3 with Carol Sue McKenzie and Shirley Helmick. After moving to the east coast, her violin teachers included Ronda Cole of the Northern Virginia Suzuki Music School and Anthea Kreston at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School. She also studied with violinist Lina Bahn and harpsichordist Dr. Elizabeth Farr of the University of Colorado Boulder. Erica’s performances have ranged from Renaissance songs to contemporary electronic music and have taken her and her instruments throughout her communities and around the world, including to Bolivia and Morocco. Since returning to the Ridgecrest area in 2012, she has taught music at both private and public schools and performed throughout southern California. She currently maintains a private studio for string instrument students and is the music teacher at Trona Elementary School and St. Ann School, where she teaches music appreciation and theory and also leads band, orchestra, and choirs. A few of her passions as a musician include early music performance, medieval musical texts, and ethnomusicology. As a teacher, she delights in helping her students find their own musical voice and develop into excellent musicians who play with confidence, imagination, intelligence, and love.