Molly Wilkens-Reed is a Collegiate Assistant Professor of Viola and Director of the Virginia Tech String Project, where she combines her work as a performer, pedagogue, and music educator with a commitment to community engagement and teacher preparation. Her teaching and scholarship focus on string pedagogy, innovative approaches to music education, and the development of meaningful connections between university music programs and their surrounding communities. Through the Virginia Tech String Project, she provides high-quality string instruction to children and adults while mentoring undergraduate and graduate students as they develop their identities and skills as music educators.

As a performer and teacher, Wilkens-Reed maintains an active professional practice in violin, viola, and chamber music. She serves on the faculty of Interlochen Summer Arts Camp and has held teaching positions with institutions and programs including the Peabody Preparatory, Baltimore School for the Arts, Bryn Mawr Music School, PRIZM Music Camp and International Chamber Music Festival, and the Memphis Suzuki Summer Institute. Her performance activity includes premieres and collaborations with contemporary composers, as well as chamber music and educational performances.

Wilkens-Reed's work in string music education and pedagogy has been presented nationally through performances, lectures, workshops, and scholarly and professional publications. Her presentations have been featured at the American Viola Society Festival, the American String Teachers Association National Conference, and state music educators conferences, and her writing has appeared in the American Viola Society and American Suzuki journals. In 2026, she was selected as Teacher-in-Residence for the American Viola Society Festival. Her contributions to music education have been recognized through awards for outreach, teaching, and program development, including the Outstanding String Project of the Year Award from the American String Teachers Association and multiple Virginia Tech awards for excellence in outreach and teaching.

A central focus of Wilkens-Reed's academic and professional work is the preparation of future music educators. Her students have gone on to establish successful careers as school orchestra teachers, private studio teachers, professional chamber musicians, arts administrators, and collegiate music students. Through her teaching, mentorship, performance, and professional service, she seeks to strengthen the connection between artistic excellence, effective pedagogy, and accessible community-based music education.