Heather studied Suzuki piano with Anne Parker in Newtown, PA, and continued her studies with Kathy Krupa (Solebury, PA), Edward Ferdinand (Middletown, PA) and Cassandra Carr (Seattle, WA).

Heather began accompanying at a young age, playing for elementary school chorus and chamber music with peers. As a teenager, Heather continued to play and perform in everything from classical piano festivals to musical theatre. Awards from this period include the Award for Excellence in Concerto Performance at the Seattle Young Artists Music Festival, given by Seymour Bernstein. She also studied classical ballet and developed a growing interest in the Christian faith and theology. Meanwhile, she struggled with growing tension in her hands and arms that ultimately became tendonitis and ganglion cysts in both wrists. Although she never stopped playing, injury became a growing restriction on her practice time and her technical development throughout her teens.

Heather entered Oberlin College as a religion major planning to pursue a call to ministry and to make music as much as she could. Upon arrival she was so injured as to barely be able to play. She was fortunate to be placed in the studio of Peter Takacs at the Oberlin Conservatory, and her studies with him focused on correcting technique so as to rehabilitate her injuries and enable her to work up to playing for longer periods of time. While in college Heather began working regularly as a musician. She accompanied conservatory students' recitals, served as a substitute musician at churches in Oberlin, and paid for her ballet classes by accompanying younger students' classes at Ohio Dance Theatre.

While music has always been the most meaningful aspect of church life for Heather, it wasn't until late in her graduate studies in religion that she began exploring the possibility of serving as a church musician. She served as organist and pianist at Memorial Baptist Church in Hartford (CT) from 2013 to 2015, then became Minister of Music at the United Methodist Church of South Hadley (MA) in the neighborhood where she lives and teaches. Heather directs the choir, assists in worship planning and plays for services every week.

In addition to her service as Minister of Music, Heather is a piano instructor at Bay Path University, and teaches a thriving private Suzuki piano studio of between 15 and 20 students from age 3 to retired adults. She continued her own piano studies for three years with Alissa Leiser and for one year with Gregory Hayes, and now enjoys an active and varied career as a performer in New England. She has been a pianist with the Five College Dance Department since 2008, Boston Ballet School since 2019, and Da Camera Singers since 2018. She is grateful every day to be able to play for many hours without pain or injury.

As Heather spends so much time playing music for people who are dancing or praying, she is always thinking of how to engage the ears, bodies and hearts of everyone in the room, even in a formal concert. She is deeply interested in rhythm as an emotional element of music. Her repertoire interests range from the Baroque to the present day; she is especially interested in music by women, music from diverse American composers, music for dance, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and new music. Heather's recordings include an album of ballet class music, A Musical Feast for Ballet Class (2011), and an album of music by contemporary composers, Preludes, Problems & Prayers (2014).