Ellie Hoffman

I began playing violin through the Suzuki Program at the age of four and, with the program’s guidance, obtained formal instruction for the next fourteen years. During that time, I have had the opportunity to learn and grow through music, as well as watch others improve their musical abilities with the Suzuki Program’s philosophy of talent education. In school, I performed in the first violin section of the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra and with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra as second principal violinist. I also competed in the National Federation of Music Clubs’ performance opportunities and received the top rating each year (2012-2015). I have completed Every Child Can!, Violin Unit 1, and Violin Unit 2 training with the SAA and possess an additional ten years’ experience teaching beginning Suzuki violin students.

Furthermore, one of my early Suzuki teachers introduced me to a wide variety of music alongside the Suzuki curriculum, and I have spent the last several years studying traditional American music with master fiddlers from across the country. Beginning in 2009, I was awarded three Ohio Arts Council grants, which led to the production of two old time music CDs. I also received a scholarship from the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC to study the musical heritage of the Appalachia region, and have participated and placed in fiddle contests across the Midwest. Besides this, I have been privileged to play as a soloist, to collaborate with other musicians, and to perform with my family’s string band at divers settings including the Ohio State Fair, restaurant venues, farmers’ markets, and weddings.