Melissa Burgess began playing the piano at the age of five and continued to study privately for twelve years before college. Melissa competed frequently at local and state levels throughout high school and college and received multiple awards and honors at both the high school and college levels. She attended Bryan College, in Dayton, Tennessee, where she maintained the Presidential Scholarship in music for four years, and in addition was awarded the M. A. Cooley Memorial Scholarship. Melissa graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from Bryan College, where she studied privately under Dr. Sigrid Luther. Melissa currently teaches private piano lessons. Her focus is on the fundamentals of reading and understanding music, with special attention to expression and musicality. Her goal is for her students to have a firm grasp of the skills needed to explore music on their own, expressing their unique musical voice.