Playing It Forward: How ISU Alum Shelby Murdock Is Transforming Music Education in Idaho

ISU alum Shelby Murdock is bringing new life to music education in southeast Idaho, building a growing network of young musicians, teachers, and community performances.

POCATELLO, Idaho––Describing her work, Shelby Murdock, a 2017 graduate of Idaho State University (ISU), prefers to say that she plays every day rather than simply saying that she teaches music. Her joy, evident in her word selection, has determined her career, as well as the lives of many young musicians in southeast Idaho.

Murdock founded the Snake River Strings, a private music education company, after her graduation. As the owner of this dynamic business, she has one simple goal: to ensure that kids find music accessible, fun, and meaningful. “I don’t work. I play violin. I get to see growth, help kids meet goals, and do something I absolutely love every single day,” Murdock says.

Murdock, who grew up in Shelley and Idaho Falls, as well as a graduate of Hillcrest High School, knew that her academic interest was in music. With this aim, she auditioned for several universities, but ISU proved to be the best option for her. “ISU made me feel special,” Murdock recalls. “Even before I officially started, they offered performance opportunities. They saw me not as just another number, but as someone they wanted to invest in.”

She got enrolled as a music education major, with a keen interest in both elements of the degree: performance and teaching. She was passionate from the outset to carry on musical traditions and instill a love of music in the upcoming generation. “I love watching students set goals, grow, and fall in love with music. Whether in public or private settings, that’s what I always knew I wanted to do,” Murdock says.

Staying true to her mission, Shelby started instructing orchestra classes in public schools for a year after her graduation and soon discovered her true passion: one-on-one teaching. “I loved the connection, the progress, the individual relationships,” she explains. As the waitlist of students grew and the community need became clearer, she started her new venture, Snake River Strings.

“In our area, if you wanted lessons, it was usually from a neighbor or someone teaching out of their house. There wasn’t anything modern or dynamic,” she says. 

With that in mind, she saw an opportunity. Music did not have any robust infrastructure and energy backing it up, unlike comparable fields such as dance, gymnastics, or martial arts. She wanted music to catch up. “We’re bringing music into the 21st century, fun, engaging, and competitive in the best way. If a student wants to learn a pop song, we say yes. There’s no such thing as ‘bad music’ here.”

ISU contributed to building Murdock’s entrepreneurial confidence during her study period at the university. While studying at ISU, she initiated the ISU Fiddle Competition, for which she managed organizing sponsors, advertising, and partnerships in the community. Such organizational experience at ISU, she believes, made the base from which she built her future. “It was hard, but it taught me how to organize events, how to reach out to businesses, how to make something happen. That gave me the confidence to start my own business,” Murdock says.

She gratefully acknowledges the contribution of her ISU mentors, including Heather Clarke, College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Dean Kandi Turley-Ames, PhD., Professor Jonathan (Jon) Armstrong, M.F.A., former professor Thomas Kloss, PhD., and Professor Geoffrey Friedley, D.M.A. She recalls that her mentors helped her in several ways. They gave her opportunities to perform, connected her with community gigs, and even helped her form her vision in her dual role as both a musician and a teacher. “ISU wasn’t just about classes. It was about real experience. They made me feel seen and gave me the tools to succeed,” she says.

Snake River Strings now operates across several locations and regularly holds performances for the community. They feature at parades, parks, retirement homes, and public recitals. In addition, they collaborate with ISU by employing current students as instructors and promoting the university’s music program to graduates. Murdock says, “It’s a full-circle moment. We teach younger kids, guide them toward ISU when they’re ready, and then often bring them back as instructors. Everyone wins.”

Murdock’s advice for current ISU students is to: “Take every opportunity. Talk to people. Be friendly. You never know when a simple hello could lead to your next job, mentor, or life-changing experience.”

She stresses how powerful things like networking, staying open-minded, and embracing hard work are. “There are moments when I doubt myself, when things feel hard, but I push through. And every time, I grow.”

”The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it. True behavior change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only way you’ll stick with it is if it becomes a part of your identity. Improvements are only temporary until they become a part of who you are. The goal is not to read a book; the goal is to become a reader. The goal is not to learn how to play an instrument, it’s to become a musician,” Shelby Murdock.

About our contributor: Suraiya Nasrin is a former Graduate Instructor in the Department of English and Philosophy at Idaho State University, where she taught first-year composition and English as a Second Language. She holds a Master of Arts in English from both Idaho State University and the Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh. Her research focuses on rhetoric and composition, multimodal pedagogy, material culture studies, and environmental humanities, with particular interest in how infographics enhance students’ creativity and critical thinking. Suraiya is also an experienced student mentor, committed to fostering inclusive and engaging learning environments.