Catherine Hewson studied piano with Helgi Fatovic, Eugenie McLean, Garth Beckett, and Sonjia Behrens. She completed her ARCT in piano, and did her undergraduate studies in piano performance, with violin as a second study at WLU. She was awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship to pursue graduate studies in musicology at the University of Western Ontario. She won numerous scholarships in Kiwanis festivals and also won the concerto competitions at both WLU and with the city's youth orchestra in her first year of university, performing at the Center in the Square in 1982.

She has been teaching since 1980, and at the Beckett School since 1988.  Several of her students have gone on to study music at university, and have chosen musical careers. Her students have been very successful in RCM examinations, and Kiwanis festivals, including representation at the provincial level.

Catherine is the mother of two teenagers, Miriam and Paul.