Ms. Meghan N. Coil

Meghan Coil started Suzuki violin lessons in kindergarten, in a public Montessori school in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from Denison University (Granville, Ohio), where she studied violin and fiddle with Andy Carlson, she taught violin for four years, first in the Denison University Suzuki Program and later in the State College Suzuki Program in Pennsylvania. Her students have ranged in age from three to adult. She has completed five units of teacher training through the Suzuki Association of the Americas and in 2006 was awarded a scholarship by the SAA. Her trainers have included Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Edward Kreitman, Edmund Sprunger, and Teri Einfeldt. She has performed in professional orchestras and as a soloist in numerous theatrical productions, most recently the Oregon Children’s Theatre’s world premiere production of The Storm in the Barn.

Meghan’s private studio is Breathe Suzuki Studio in North Portland. Because Suzuki parenting is an intense commitment, the first eight weeks of instruction at Breathe Suzuki Studio focus on the parent, so that he or she can make a smooth and supported transition into the role of confident, competent home teacher. For each week during Parent Orientation, new parents receive individual violin instruction and meet as a group for discussion of topics including Suzuki philosophy and pedagogy, instrument care and tuning, motivating your child, fostering cooperation, lesson etiquette, making home practices fun and efficient, understanding musical terminology and notation, and much more. After the Parent Orientation period, students receive an individual lesson and a group lesson each week. The individual lesson is shared between parent and student until the parent has learned the Twinkle Variations.

Prospective families are encouraged to observe lessons before enrolling. If you are interested in observing, please contact Meghan to make arrangements.

Please note that new students will not need violins right away and in fact will learn correct posture habits more readily if they have not already experimented with holding or playing the instrument. (Breathe Suzuki Studio students graduate to their real violin after they have mastered holding and handling their cardboard “practice violin.”) Whichever teacher you choose, s/he will help you know when the student is ready to get the violin, what size to get, and where to get it.