Helen Hines is pursuing her PhD in Music at the University of Edinburgh, supervised by Dr Nikki Moran and Dr Lisa McCormick. Helen is affiliated with the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) and is the recipient of the Edinburgh College of Art Research Scholarship. Helen has a BSc (HONS) in Business Information Technology and an MSc (Distinction) in Instrumental Teaching, and holds teaching diplomas from ABRSM and Trinity College of London. Helen also has a background in IT, having worked as a Senior Technical Consultant at Oracle Corporation for 18 years. 

Helen is passionate about teaching and is an experienced violin teacher who has taught in schools, music schools and privately. She currently directs a large private studio with students who have performed for high-profile events, including private performances for well-known celebrities and artists from the film, television, and music industries, as well as festivals, competitions, and charity performances. Many of her students are also members of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, regional youth orchestras, junior divisions of the Royal Academy of Music, and the Royal College of Music. Many also hold music scholarships, regularly place highly in regional and national competitions, and routinely achieve the highest results in their ABRSM, LCM and Trinity music exams. Helen also directs the performance group Appassionato, which performs with innovative choreography to capture the motivation of high-level teenage performers. For more information, please visit www.violinwithhelen.co.uk