Daily Inspiration: Meet Becca Siegel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Becca Siegel.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Growing up, I was constantly being surrounded by music. My entire mom’s side of the family plays just about everything, so I was always being around a family band. I remember at a young age sitting in my uncle’s basement coloring in a book while listening to my family play doo-wops and 50-60’s oldies tunes. I always looked up to them all and thought they were all so cool and knew I wanted to be just like them. My musical turn so came during my elementary school years when I chose to play violin and began playing in orchestras. I continued to grow and learn classically through the music classes and the orchestra offered in my elementary and junior high schools. I took my playing to the next level when I started taking private lessons with Ms. Katie Bern; my whole perspective and passion for music soon radiated into something more all thanks to her. She had introduced me to the “fiddle.” I began learning how to play by ear through her by learning Irish and bluegrass tunes and once I was introduced to playing these genres, I couldn’t stop. I had a new passion for fiddle music and became addicted to it. I’d learn a new fiddle tune every week all while learning the Suzuki method and being trained classically. I also attended local bluegrass and Irish jam sessions in the Chicago area. I continued my obsession with fiddle music through high school and even took part in the Illinois state fiddle competition receiving fifth place. While in high school, I partook in the school orchestra, symphony, and rock orchestra where I sat as concertmaster and principal desk. During the summers, I attended Belmont University’s string crossings program. I also partook in an amazing project called the Alive Inside project, which is where music is used to help those with dementia. I became extremely interested in the fact that music could be used to help those in need and knew I wanted to do something with that in my life, so I headed towards music therapy for my college degree. After receiving my associates degree at a community college in Chicago, I soon transferred to my dream college in famous music city: Belmont University. I began to take my music journey into music therapy since I loved getting to help others through music, but I soon started to miss classes for gigging around town in Nashville. The first gig I ever took was with a band called Willow Hill, who are now my closest friends. They gave the craziest, best advice to ever give a 21 year old who just moved to Nashville for a music degree: to drop college and do music full time. With a lot of thought and consideration, that’s exactly what I ended up doing. I only lasted a semester at Belmont and dropped to do music full time in Nashville. It’s been a year since I dropped and ever since I have been blessed beyond measures with in town gigs, studio work, getting to travel and see the world while playing music, and getting to meet and connect with amazing musicians and people. That is what I currently do now.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest obstacle I ever faced was the fact that I may have had to end my fiddle playing forever. In high school, I was diagnosed with an extra clavicle rib that causes permanent nerve damage in my left side on my neck. Since that’s where you hold your fiddle, I always was faced having to deal with extreme pain while playing. I tried everything I could to solve the problem by seeing different doctors and going through different treatments, but nothing worked until I met the amazing Dr. Casey McGrath. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t still be playing today. She had taught me how to play without a shoulder rest and how to play without tension, helping with the pain that I was dealing with. I am a huge advocate for playing without a shoulder rest for this very reason. If it weren’t for identifying my tension and getting the help I needed through her, my musical career would’ve been over. I believe all musicians should know what tension is and how to address it. Tension is truly something that goes unnoticed in the music world most times and leads to bad paths that no one wants to take. I think it’s vital for all musicians to acknowledge when they are tense to work through it rather than just ignore and keep playing for this very reason.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a fiddle/violin player. I play in Nashville on broadway as well as out of state. I also do session work as well. I play genres such as classical, Irish, bluegrass, rock, pop, blues, and country. I play for various artists around town. I am most proud of myself for how far I have come within the year I have been down in Nashville. I originally came to Nashville for Belmont University, but only to find out that college wasn’t for me and that I was born to do music and perform, which is what I chose to do. I was a 21 year old that had moved away from her family and everything she knew to chase a dream in music. Now 22, I have come very far in connecting with various musicians/artists and have done and seen things that I would have never thought I’d ever get the opportunity to do. I am very blessed and thankful to what all life has brought me with the little time that I’ve been doing music.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Within the next 5-10 years I see myself to hopefully get picked up by a major artist and to hit the road and go on tour while playing fiddle for them. I have come very close to doing so. Nothing like that has happened yet, but I know that God has a plan and I have to go along with his time, not mine. So we will see where life brings me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.beccasfiddle.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccasfiddle?igsh=bjZ5b3JpNmxqcmk%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/NWjqoumjoY1LzZ5a/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC0HtZjYldmsWF0Apq6g77Hw