Laura expressed an interest in music at an early age and began taking piano lessons from Anne Johnson in Lynchburg, Virginia.  By the time she was a teen, she was playing and singing in churches as well as performing in all district and all state choirs.  At age seventeen she was one of only three people from the state of Virginia chosen to tour with America's Youth Concert performing in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, and New York City.

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She studied music at Longwood University where she received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree with concentration in piano and voice.  Before starting a family, she performed on piano and keyboards with Larry Scott, Lester Seay, and Oliver Burks, as well as solo playing in Lynchburg and the surrounding area.  During this time she also worked in management in music retail.

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She left retail management to work at Central Virginia Training Center teaching music to persons with disabilities.  Laura also served as QMRP, helping clients access services needed for successful living.  She was then offered a job with Amherst County Schools where she taught elementary music for two years, middle school exploratory music for eight years, and Choral Director for eight years.