When Betty was growing up in the suburban North Shore of Massachusetts, no one thought that there was any other "real" way to play violin besides Classical music. So she studied Mozart and Beethoven, played violin and viola in local orchestras, gave solo recitals, received a Congress of Strings award from the American Federation of Musicians, and went off to study Music, Physics and Math at a liberal arts college. But by graduation, Betty realized that she was not interested in the competition of the Classical world - but had always sworn to herself that she would never be one of those "sad, mediocre old people" (as her teenage self viewed them) who scraped away in the back of the 2nd violins in a community orchestra. So lacking any concept of another path, she put away her instruments...

Some years later Betty was still sad about not playing violin, and looked around for a better, more enjoyable way to approach it. She got the name of a local violinist who also played in a Rock band - Betty went to her and said "I want to learn how to play what I want, improvising without sheet music in front of me!" Much unlearning/relearning later, Betty played at a gig with her teacher's band - and realized that THIS was what she wanted and needed: on a stage, playing music for people who are out to have a good time that doesn't involve sitting quietly in rows.

More recently, Betty began to compose music for herself and others. Rather than recruiting a band, she uses a looping pedal to create multi-layered sonic patterns over which she improvises. After several performance workshops with harpist/storyteller Deborah Henson-Conant Betty has also begun writing and performing songs.

She is affectionately known in the Boston area as a "string slut" - she presents her solo violin looping project Reverse Polish Notation as well as appearing with bands Ginger Ibex and The Gobshites, plus additional ad hoc performances and recording sessions.