Lois Shepheard was born in Lithgow, New South Wales to a father from Scotland and a mother descended from Scots. She was sent to learn the violin, to play reels and hornpipes and became a professional musician. Her lifetime in music has included study at the Conservatorium of New South Wales and the Talent Education School of Music, Japan. She has played in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and was a lecturer at the University of Melbourne and Victoria's Institute of Early Childhood Development. For a time, she
was Professor of Viola and Director of the Suzuki Program at Western Illinois University, USA.
