Dr. Lani Hamilton is Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of South Carolina, where she also serves as Director of the USC String Project. Prior to her appointment at USC, she was Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. A former symphony violinist and public-school orchestra teacher, Hamilton brings practical experience to her work with music educators, performers, and developing musicians. She holds a Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as degrees in violin performance from the University of Miami and the University of Texas at Austin.

Research

Dr. Hamilton’s research investigates how musicians develop expertise and refine motor skills, with particular attention to how they perceive and respond to discrepancies between goals and outcomes. Her work explores the role of attention in music learning, examining how musicians allocate visual and cognitive resources during rehearsal, ensemble performance, and independent practice. She is especially interested in how musicians refine complex motor skills through iterative cycles of feedback and adjustment. Her research has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education and the American Suzuki Journal, and she has presented at regional, national, and international conferences including the International Symposium on Performance Science, the American String Teachers Association Conference, and the National Association for Music Education Conference.

Teaching

Dr. Hamilton mentors student researchers, works closely with preservice and early-career teachers, and supports community-based string instruction through her leadership of the USC String Project. She supervises practicum experiences in string education and teaches courses in undergraduate and graduate string education and pedagogy, as well as graduate research. She also contributes to broader graduate and undergraduate curricula in music education.