Rachel read Music at Exeter University and specialised in Music for her PGCE. Following primary school teaching posts early in her career, in which she was responsible for music in the schools, she was the Assistant Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral School from 2007 – 2016 and then the Head of Junior Music at The Maynard School, Exeter from 2017 to 2024.

In 2007, as part of the Chorister Outreach Project, Rachel founded the Devon County Junior Choir. In 2012, she established Schola Exe, the County Senior Choir. She continued to conduct both choirs until 2021.

Rachel has worked for the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain since 2009, first as a singing tutor and then in 2011, she became one of the four Principal Conductors, working with the Yellow Choir (for children aged 9 – 11). The choir meets twice a year for residential courses, culminating in public concerts and has performed at the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe and Birmingham Town Hall.

In 2012, Rachel became the Musical Director for the Chivenor Military Wives Choir (since renamed the Chivenor Military Ladies Choir) and in that capacity, Rachel has conducted the choir around the country including at the Royal Albert Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral and Downing Street.

Since 2013, Rachel has also been the MD for Lympstone Military Wives Choir. Both choirs perform at numerous events around the south west, nationally and abroad, most recently to Ypres in 2018 and 2023 and Normandy in 2019 and 2024, where they sang at Pegasus Bridge and the British Normandy Memorial as part of the 80 th anniversary commemorations of D-Day. In 2015, Rachel was invited to arrange The Proclaimers’ ‘500 miles’ for the Military Wives and she conducted them for their recording which was released for Walking with the Wounded’s Christmas Campaign 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2g9-zbgdIM