About
Diana Mascari
Composer & Teacher
Diana Mascari is a highly experienced and deeply committed teacher of piano and composition, offering one-on-one online lessons designed specifically for adult students. Based in Southbury, CT, she has taught privately for over 47 years, working with students aged 7 to 85. Today, her focus is on helping adults—especially those returning to the piano or transitioning from another instrument—reconnect with music in a meaningful and satisfying way.
Diana’s background makes her uniquely qualified to guide adult learners. A seasoned jazz pianist for more than 50 years, she has performed with a wide range of ensembles, and many of her performances can be found on YouTube. As a classical composer, her works have been performed in the U.S. and Europe, giving her students a strong foundation for learning not just how to play music—but how to understand, interpret, and even create it.
For 41 years, Diana also served as Music Director for a multicultural Presbyterian church in the Boston area, shaping and leading music across generations and traditions. She holds two Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory, where she studied performance, composition, and theory at the highest level.
Her teaching is grounded in deep knowledge and years of hands-on experience, but also in empathy and a personal commitment to each student’s growth. With Diana, learning is not about perfection—it’s about discovery, creativity, and the joy of playing music you truly love.
Diana Mascari American Composer
In addition to her work as a pianist and educator, Diana Mascari is an accomplished American composer whose music bridges the elegance of classical form with the expressive freedom of jazz.
Rooted in the American Classical and Neo-Classical traditions, her compositions are shaped by decades of experience as a jazz pianist. This unique blend gives her music a distinctive voice—rhythmically alive, harmonically rich, and emotionally resonant.
Diana’s catalog spans a wide range of genres and instrumentations, including four works for orchestra, two string quartets, four saxophone quartets, a saxophone concerto, and numerous pieces for chorus and mixed instrumental ensembles. Her chamber music includes duos for flute and piano, flute and guitar, clarinet and piano, cello and piano, and saxophone and piano. Each piece reflects her commitment to structural clarity, lyrical phrasing, and a musical language that speaks both to seasoned musicians and engaged listeners.
Her compositions have been performed in prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City, as well as in cities across the U.S. including Boston and Washington, D.C. Internationally, her music has been heard in Berlin, Germany; Moravia, Czechia; Constance, Switzerland; and Japan, attesting to the broad appeal and expressive range of her work.
Diana Mascari’s current catalog includes more than 25 published compositions, all available for listening, performance, and purchase through this website and on Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Direct. These works highlight the breadth of her compositional voice and are part of a growing body of music that spans orchestral, chamber, choral, and solo repertoire. Additional works will be added regularly as more scores are prepared for publication. Musicians and ensembles interested in upcoming releases or commission opportunities are warmly invited to get in touch.
To Listen to Diana's Compositions, Click Here:
Piano and Composition Lessons
Personalized Music Lessons for Adults—Wherever You Are
Diana Mascari offers live, one-on-one online piano and composition lessons designed specifically for adults with some musical background—whether you’re picking up where you left off or exploring new creative directions. From Connecticut to California, Australia to Europe, Diana works with students around the world, helping each one reconnect with music in a meaningful, personal way.
Lessons are tailored to your goals, interests, and experience. Whether you're eager to build your piano skills, explore improvisation, or start composing your own music, Diana takes the time to understand your musical story and recommend the right path forward.
Your journey begins with a free 30-minute online consultation—an easy and relaxed way to see how lessons can support your musical growth.
Piano Lessons
It’s Never Too Late to Play Beautifully
If you're coming back to the piano—or discovering it anew after playing another instrument—you’ll be amazed at how quickly music returns to your hands and heart. Even just 10 minutes a day of regular practice can lead to real progress and a sense of personal joy.
Diana’s lessons are thoughtfully tailored for adults, offering both structure and inspiration. Students explore a wide range of music to build skill and variety—from the clear, satisfying progression of the Beyer Method to the expressive charm of Bastien’s Favorite Classic Melodies, and on to the elegance of Bartók, Chopin, Early Bach, and Clementi Sonatinas.
Alongside reading music, you’ll also learn to play by chords—starting with simple patterns and gradually moving into the rich harmonies of beloved standards. Diana guides students in building a personal repertoire drawn from the Great American Songbook, jazz, and show tunes—pieces that are fun to play and deeply rewarding to revisit.
Whether you played years ago or are just beginning your piano story, this is your time to return, reconnect, and enjoy the music you love.
To find out about piano lessons with Diana Mascari, click here:
Composition Lessons
In composition lessons with Diana, adult students will gain the skills and confidence to turn their musical ideas into fully developed, notated pieces. Learning how to use Sibelius music notation software is strongly recommended, as it allows students to hear their music played back, edit in real time, and prepare professional-looking scores. Lessons include a review of time signatures and meter, helping students understand the natural rhythmic flow of their ideas. Through clear, step-by-step instruction, students explore the expressive tools of articulation, dynamics, rhythm, and harmony, and how these shape musical meaning. As their skills grow, students are introduced to orchestration and arranging, learning how to expand their piano-based ideas into pieces for duos, trios, quartets, or even larger ensembles. The process is deeply rewarding—students not only become more fluent in the language of music, but also experience the joy of creating original works that reflect their own voice.
To find out about composition lessons with Diana Mascari, click here:
