Nicole LoBartolo is a violin/viola and classroom music educator, who is currently Director of Violin Time. She began her career in teaching while studying for her Bachelor in Music Performance (Monash University) in 2000 and after completing her Music Performance degree in 2001, she completed her Masters in (Human Resource Management). This helped her to acquire the necessary skills to hold a leadership position later on in her career. In 2004 she completed her Graduate Diploma in Education so that she could also undertake a classroom teaching position. Nicole also completed her A.Mus.A (Associate in Music Performance) to gain additional performance experience and to further her knowledge of repertoire on the violin.
During her time at Monash University she toured to Vietnam and Malaysia as both a soloist with the Monash Sinfonia String Ensemble, and as an orchestral player with both the New Monash Orchestra and Sinfonia. The tour provided her with excellent performance experience and, additionally, opened her eyes to life for other people living in third world conditions.
Nicole has worked in various teaching positions in Melbourne including St Margarets School in Berwick and Tintern Anglican Girls Grammar School. During this time she led string quartets of secondary school students that won or placed in many eisteddfods. She also instructed students through VCE and IB music, some of who went on to study music at university level.
In 2008, she took on a violin/viola teaching role, which grew into Coordinator of Strings role at Lowther Hall Anglican Girls Grammar School. This is where Nicole gained most of her leadership experience, through the management of a fantastic team of string staff. Throughout this time, Nicole also broadened her interest in conducting by leading string quartets, various string ensembles and orchestras and in organizing concerts.
Nicole also has a passion for composition and has recorded music with her gypsy jazz band Red Cats at Midnight. They launched their first EP in 2013 as a fundraising event to increase awareness for refugees living in Africa at Kakuma Refugee Camp.
Nicole is an inspiring teacher from Melbourne, whose students regularly achieve excellent results in their AMEB examinations. This year she organised two wonderful concerts for her students and her student ensembles. The Stringendo Spring Soiree which was held in Spring of 2017 was a fantastic concert and the students all agreed that the proceeds of the concert fundraiser would go towards building a boarding house for rural students for students wishing to attend the school of St Jude in Tanzania. We raised $1,700 for this cause which was a fantastic effort!
Nicole’s Student concert for solo students was also a fundraising event whereby over $700 was raised for Australia for UNHCR where funds where donated towards the Syrian refugees living in crisis.
Nicole’s aim as a music educator is to improve students’ playing ability and develop their technical skills. She also believes in the broader value of music education as a tool, to increase students’ awareness of the world around them and the many ways that music influences our lives.