Laura teaches band instrument lessons, piano lessons, and 4–7-year-old music classes (including KiddyKeys) at BHSA.  

She has taught music education classes for 30 years in both private and public-school systems in South Dakota and Nebraska. Laura has experience working with students in grades K-12 in almost every area of music including concert bands, marching bands, jazz bands, flag corps, drumline, choirs, and elementary music.  She has also taught piano lessons since 1995.   Laura began playing the piano when she was 8 years old.  Her grandmother told her that if she took piano lessons, grandma would give Laura her piano.  It was the beginning of Laura’s life-long love of music. She also plays piano/organ for weddings, funerals, and church services.

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Laura earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in K-12 (Vocal and Instrumental) Music Education from Chadron State College (NE) and her Master of Science Degree in Educational Technology from Dakota State University in Madison, SD.  She also holds professional music organization memberships in the South Dakota Music Educators Association/National Association for Music Education (SDMEA/NAfME), the South Dakota Bandmasters Association, the Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters Fraternity, and the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA/SD-ACDA).

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Other activities Laura is involved with include being a South Dakota Certified Volleyball Official for 35 years; an NCAA-DII division volleyball official for 5 years; a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician (NR-EMT) and is a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the South Dakota 7th Circuit Court. She also loves to scrapbook, work on family history, ride her motorcycle, play the piano, and travel around the beautiful Black Hills with her husband and very spoiled dog. Laura and her husband have 6 children and 5 grandchildren.

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Laura is excited to be back with the Black Hills Studio of the Arts after a few years away and her music motto is "The fact that children can make beautiful music is less significant than the fact that music can make beautiful children." ~ Cheryl Lavender