A Little Biography of Ms. D Maria DiFiore grew up in the Detroit area where she began her musical studies at the age of eight. She experimented with playing the piano and flute, but was eventually drawn to the oboe. Upon graduating from Grosse Pointe South High School, she attended DePaul University in Chicago where she completed her Bachelor's of Music in Oboe Performance. Maria continued her studies at Northwestern University where she studied with Ray Still and graduated with a Master's in Music in Oboe Performance. Oboe continued to play an important role in her life, but she decided to complete her college education by returning to DePaul to finish a teacher's certification.
It has been fifteen years since she started teaching. Her work has included teaching in the Chicago Public Schools and the Schiller Park Public Schools in Illinois. When she was a teacher with the Chicago Public Schools, Maria wrote several grant proposals and was awarded grants from Donors Choose, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, and the Oppenheimer Family Foundation. In 2008, Maria moved to Omaha and began work with the Bellevue Public Schools. Some of her other accomplishments include an Orff-Schulwerk Certification and the completion of Kodaly Level 1 Certification. While still living in Chicago, she was an active member of the Northshore Concert Band. Maria is married to Scott, a professional trumpet player with the Omaha Symphony. They have one son, Jacob who is twelve years old. He attends school in Papillion and is a flute player. Maria enjoys needlepoint, reading, exercising at the local YMCA, bird watching, and socializing with friends over a great meal. |