High-level, professional lessons - beginner through post-college. 35+ years as performer & teaching artist.

I have been a cello student with Dr. DiBartolo for 2 years, and I can attest to the high quality and excellence of her teaching. I began lessons with her while in college after a 2-year break from playing, with the goal of improving my cello technique and preparing for local university and community orchestra audition opportunities. Thanks to Dr. DiBartolo’s years of teaching experience, attention to detail, and encouragement, my technique and overall sound have improved more than I imagined possible. I never felt that she did not take me seriously as an adult student or non-music major. On the contrary she has been fully invested in helping me reach my cello goals, while also being flexible with my schedule and time constraints as a busy college student. I have the privilege of meeting with her in-person for my lessons, but I once found myself overseas with an excerpt to prepare for a last-minute audition, and she was eager to accommodate me with a video lesson! She is fantastic when it comes to coaching excerpts and my audition was a success!

Mary has been my son's cello teacher for over 5 years. She got him set up so well as a six -year-old and had the personality that made him love her and want to play forever. She has a way of inspiring her students without them wanting to quit or find someone new to teach them. When he hasn't practiced enough, she makes sure he knows, and then he wants to do better the next week. As a string player myself, I have admired the way she teaches various concepts and skills unique to string playing. It is evident that she is an excellent teacher when you hear both her individual students and the ensembles she teaches perform. Any student who has a desire to excel on the cello will certainly be able to do that with Mary.

Mary has taught my son cello for a few years now and he has grown so much musically since working with her. Mary is talented and passionate about the cello, and is invested in sharing that knowledge with her students. She is honest, detailed, and sets a high standard. To top it all off, my son thinks she is funny:) We consider ourselves blessed to have her as a teacher!