Dr. Courtney Bell is a passionate Suzuki cello instructor and an Orchestra Teacher at DeLong Middle School. In addition to a post-baccalaureate certificate in k-12 instrumental music education, Courtney holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance from the University of Minnesota, a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at Stetson University. She is currently registered to teach cello books 1-5, violin book 1, and bass book 1 as a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. 

 

Having studied the cello since 2001 and taught since 2010, Courtney has cultivated a philosophy that emphasizes working smart, not hard. In alignment with the Suzuki Method, she is committed to the belief that every child can learn when the parent, teacher, and student work as equally critical partners. Additional experience working with young cellists comes from her work as an instructor at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, summers as the cello teaching intern at the Upper Midwest String Camp in St. Joseph and counselor at Michigan’s Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp where she lived alongside campers and served as a musical mentor. Courtney has previously worked closely with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony as the rehearsal assistant for the novice orchestra, Philharmonia East. Courtney designed and taught her lecture course “Music and Terror: The Lives of Prokofiev and Shostakovich” as a University of Minnesota Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Scholar Adviser in spring 2017.

 

Courtney is an active performer, having participated in diverse performance projects. Most recently, she appeared with the Eagles for their Saint Paul, MN 2021 concerts. Professional Minnesotan theaters Courtney has played for include Old Log Theater’s production of “Ghost the Musical”, 7th House Theater’s critically acclaimed new musical "The Passage: Or What Comes of Searching in the Dark”, Mixed Precipitation’s touring theater in their original production of “Donald Giovanni in Cornland: A Picnic Operetta” and the Yellow Tree Theater, appearing in their productions of “Next to Normal” and “Violet“. In 2014, Courtney was a featured artist in the award-winning Spirit of Broadway Theater’s production of the new musical “Bleeding Love”. Courtney regularly performs with professional regional orchestras including the Mankato Symphony Orchestra and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. She appeared with pop artist Michael Bublé during his 2013 Hartford performance of the “To be Loved” tour. From 2009-2012, Courtney performed with Stetson University’s endowed and elite Barron String Quartet as its cellist and manager.