Abstract
The main focus of this essay is to provide a detailed description of four master teachers' approaches to teaching first-year college student cello performance majors through material collected from interviews with the teachers. The content of each interview are organized into five chapters covering the main pedagogical problems in cello playing. The five chapters are as follows: evaluation methods, basics of body position, right arm technique, left arm technique, and musical application, including general issues such as addressing the student's goals. Teaching first-year college students is especially important and challenging because it is such a critical time in the student's development. This study is meant to assist teachers of all levels of experience by making available pedagogical information that has not been published.