In Memoriam
Doris Koppelman

What a wonderful and kind woman. I met her at a Suzuki Institute in Southern Ca. many years ago. She will be greatly
missed, but her contribution to the Suzuki Assoc. and teaching
will remain forever.

This is a major loss to the Suzuki movement. I extend my heartfelt sympathies to her family members, students and colleagues. She will be missed!

Doris will truly be missed. I have known her for many years as a colleague, friend, and I can’t begin to describe how much I learned observing her teach my daughter. She had incredible love and enthusiasm in everything that she did. She loved her students and fellow teachers. She touched so many lives.

Doris was my instructor at a Suzuki Institute in LA during the 80’s. She told me, “you have the ability to do this. Go home and try it.” I did. And I’ve been teaching by the Suzuki method ever since. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Doris. We’ll miss you.

Doris has long been an inspiration and mentor far surpassing the boundaries of instrument, sharing her passion for and knowledge of Suzuki Talent Education to all she met. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe Doris’ teaching, as well as to spend time with her when our paths crossed on institute faculties. Thank you so much, Doris, for all that you gave to all of us. You will be greatly missed.

Such a loss- I hoped dear Doris would live forever. She has been such a mentor to me over my Suzuki teaching career of 33 years, and I will never forget her kindness, immense wisdom and beautiful soul. We have met infrequently in many parts of the world but her influence has been forever lasting. My heartfelt sympathy goes to her three sons and daughter-in-law, and I thank them for all they have done to make Doris comforted in her last few months. RIP dear one, you live on in our hearts and memories.

I too am sad to hear of the passing of Doris Koppleman. I have just been reading the part of Nurtured by Love which Suzuki entitled, “knowing the joy of love, I give up sadness.” And he writes about being a child on the bosom of Mozart. He also writes that none of us has any control over the fact of our birth or the inevitability of our death. It’s what we do in between that we have some opportunity to exert our best efforts for good. I believe Doris is one who modeled that effort for continuous improvement for her self & all whom she taught.
I am grateful for the memories I have from the first institute in London, Ontario where you taught my young son, now 29 years old, his finger numbers to the institute in Waterloo, Ontario where you taught me to listen to one note in Mozart’s Rondo in Book 4.

My sympathy to the family and friends of Doris. I remember her smile, and learned much from the piano teaching and training of teachers that I was able to observe over many years. I am sorry we have lost such a capable Suzuki piano teacher, trainer, and inspiration to us all. You have done well in carrying the Suzuki torch to the next generations.

I have met Doris at an Institute at Occidental College. Sorry for her passing. We all miss her. There have been quite a few Suzuki”fathers and mothers” that have passed on in the last few months: John Kendall, Louise Behrend and now Dorsi.They all have been blessed w/ a long life and we have been blessed to learn from thier rich knowledge. I have been privilaged to meet them. ( I wished I could have met Shinich Suzuki, but he died when I just did my training for book 1.)

I am very sad to hear Doris has passed away. I had honor to know her since 1986 and I always admired her dedication and work for the benefit of Suzuki Methode. She was very international person and she travelled a lot and I was happy to have her at my home in Finland, too. Suzuki Spirit—she had it. She will be missed!

Dear Doris,
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our lives. Your vitality, inquisitiveness and spirit of adventure surely mislead us about your age! When we think back over the best experiences we have ever had, times spent with you in Colorado certainly are at the top of our list.
From your friends,
Nancy & Ed

I roomed with Doris at the Chicago Institute some years ago. My
memories are graciousness and COLOR! She was always vibrant.
A lovely woman and a great loss.

Such a gentle soul—so patient. I learned so much from observing her in Colorado. She has touched the lives of countless students and teachers!

I have learned so much from Doris over the years! I took Book 1 with her as a new teacher, and then 25 years later took her class in Peru, just last January. There was always more to be learned from Doris, whose teaching combined reason and common sense with an amazing intuition, a love of music, and a desire for every student to become the best musician possible.
I am having difficulty writing this in past tense. This is a sad day.

It´s so sad that Doris is not with us any more. I have shared with her most of my most great Suzuki moments in Lima and Minneapolis. I have learned a lot from her. She was so generous and sweet with me, I´m so grateful because She was part of my life. Latinoamerica has a great debt with her and We have to follow her example and work with love and generosity each and every day. Gracias Doris, tu ejemplo me acompañará por siempre.

I was one of those young teachers Doris helped in the 1970’s. I am very grateful for her and to her. My sympathy to her family and friends.

I only got to know Doris in the last five years of her life. After seeing her lead a group of students in a recital, I approached her and was invited to study for my teaching certification. She must have been 80 at the time! She was enthusiastic about beginning a new cohort of young children. I will always remember and treasure the absolute simplicity with which she approached very young students, and the endless depths of her art in teaching the most basic concepts. I feel privileged to have been inspired and guided by her, and will miss her tremendously. Thank you teacher.

I took Piano book 2 with Doris maybe 7 years ago, and was drawn to everything about her teaching style. She had an unshakeable faith in the Suzuki method, and that was persuasive. I am grateful to have learned from her.

Elizabeth Brown
Suzuki Piano Teacher

Doris was my first mentor in the Suzuki Method. I learned so much about teaching from her gentle, patient spirit. She came to Hawaii for many years running to teach at our piano institute and train us teachers. She was such a blessing to me personally and professionally. What a full and significant life she lived!

I am formerly Dyane Protzmann, from Fallbrook, California and I was first introduced to Doris in 1974 as a young Suzuki piano student at the first West Coast Suzuki Institute in San Diego. I became a full-time student of Doris in 1978, and had the honor of being both a student and teacher-in-training at her studio until 2000. Thank you, Doris, for truly helping me to become a better person, a better musician, a better parent and friend! Your example of always learning, growing, sharing, teaching, and caring is felt and will be emulated and taught to many more teachers for years to come!

I did not know Doris personally, but heard her speak and wateched her in action at several Suzuki Conferences. I remember her remarks/advice to young teachers as being succint and right on point. I refer to her written material often and pass it on when I can.
She will be greatly missed, not only as a Suzuki educator, but as a mentor, teacher, and musician.
My deepest sympathies to her family.

Dear Doris,
You will continue to live on through all the lives you have touched. it was a blessing to have known you and worked with you. I will carry on your love of music in my heart, and through my own students. Thank you for your dedication and love of the Suzuki approach.

Ms. Koppleman was my instructor at Suzuki institute of Chicago in 2006 and 2007. She’d always say “parents are so invested in their children, be sure to explain the details to them and let them know their kids are doing well.” you will be greatly missed Ms. Koppleman !! :*(

Dear Doris
It has truly been an honour to know you. By your example, you showed us the beauty of Suzuki Method teaching and your sharing the joy of music. You will most certainly be missed, and never forgotten.

Our children were fortunate to study with Doris. Such a masterful teacher and kind person. We need to continue to share our love of music and life with our children and others. Doris is an inspiration to all of us. Doris often wrote about “making music together.” Let’s honor her by continuing to make music together. We will treasure our memories of you Doris. We will keep you alive in our hearts by making music and remembering all the happy times we shared. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family and all of those you touched. Karl, Ellen, Brian and Nicole

Such sad news! Doris taught me much about the passion of teaching. I particularly loved watching her communicate with young students. Our times together in Colorado were filled with fun conversations and culinary adventures. I will truly cherish those times!

We are so sad to hear of Doris’ death. She taught our son and daughter until they graduated from high school. Both our kids loved her, and we think she was the finest piano teacher anywhere. I’ll never forget hearing Doris speak to a group of perspective parents and say with great confidence, ‘Your children will all learn to play the piano well. They will play very, very well.” Our children, now 31 and 35, still play piano, and music is a huge part of their lives. Our daughter went on to major in piano (later switching to microbiology—not an unusual combination!) Even in college with other teachers, she preferred to return to Mrs. Koppelman for coaching before performing her juries each semester. I last saw Doris in March, when we happened to sit next to each other at a Vienna Philharmonic concert in San Diego. Her first words were always, “What’s the news? Tell me all about what Karen and Jeremy are doing!”
Thank you so much, Doris! How we miss you.
Love, Nancy and Steve Saye

I’m so sorry to hear of Doris’ passing. I took my first 4 Bks. of piano training classes with Doris. She set such a powerful example by her calm patient spirit. My students to this day are still being impacted by principles I learned from her. What a privilege it was to have been with her in class and to have seen her at Institutes and Conferences over the last 20 yrs.
I’m so sad about this and grateful at the same time. I’ll miss her very much.

Dear Doris, I am deeply grateful to have been your student in the 70s and 80s and could not have asked for a more wonderful teacher. You were incredibly loving, inspiring, uplifting, understanding, and kind to my mother and me. When I take my own children to their piano lessons now, I reminesce and am transported in time. I remember your using a furry cloth to demonstrate how to pull in with my finger tips. I remember your showing me with your warm fingertips on the palm of my hand. I have fond memories of piano lessons with you. My childhood piano books have your words “sing,” “deep,” “gentle,” “delicate,” “hug,” “gently,” and “sweet” written in pencil. You believed I could play beautifully before I knew I could. In an email dated August 3, you replied, “I’m so glad the music is going well. I loved your son’s comments! Have fun.” I did not realize those would be your last words to me. I wish you were still here. Love, Jessica

Our 3 kids were blessed to have Doris as their teacher, and we have been blessed to know her as both a piano teacher and friend. I have some thoughts about the many life lessons our kids have learned from her.

Things kids learn playing piano…
Practice – if you take something hard and break it down into smaller pieces, it becomes easy.
Time management – When there is something important which you must do every day, you learn to be efficient, and to use time wisely, so you have time for other things.
Striving toward perfection – Most of us will never be perfect at anything, but working hard to improve is a lesson that applies to all areas in life. We can always be better than we are now.
Math— counting, fractions, intervals, are just the basics. Kids that know these things early do calculus later.
Memory – if a child can memorize a concerto, he or she can do practically anything.
Patience – One day, when she was probably exasperated that our son was not prepared for his lesion, instead of get mad, Doris told him a story. Doris told him that Suzuki advocated always finding something good to say about every student. To him that day, the best she could do was “Well, at least you’re here.”
Determination – If you do anything that is hard almost every day for 10 years, it will make you a better person
Love —Kids will give their best and try their hardest for someone who loves them. Doris loved them all.
We loved her back. Preston, Renetta, Erin, Austin, and Ellen Gable

Doris was a wonderful example of truly embracing life-long learning. Even when she was so ill she attended the Leadership Retreat in Dallas/Forth Worth, still eager to learn. Doris’ long career of inspired, thoughtful teaching has left a legacy that will last in the many students and teachers who were so fortunate to have her as a teacher.

She will be greatly missed.

Doris was instrumental in the teacher training in the Hawaii Suzuki Piano program. Her persistence and impeccable attention to detail will always be etched in my memories of her. We shall miss you, but rest in peace knowing that your legacy continues in the Suzuki piano program throughout the world.

Doris became even a friend of mine the last few years. I loved watching her teach at the Colorado Institue every summer.

She also was understanding when I came down with MS and my fingers couldn’t play a whole sonata, but I could still teach small sections to my students. She helped hundreds of people.

I will miss her so much. I listened to her coments more than my own mother.

Carol Rohan

Without a doubt, Doris Koppelman will live on in the memories and spirits of everyone she knew and worked with. As my piano teacher, she taught me much more than just how to perfect the 2nd movement of a Beethoven Sonata and Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu. She pushed me to do my best, to learn to appreciate music, and even to see the good things in people. As Mr. Gable mentioned, Doris would always praise a student and have something positive to say before giving him or her constructive feedback. Her great passion for music and for people came through in every note, every phrase, and every word of advice. We are fortunate to have come across such an influential and soulful woman in our lives. She will be dearly missed, but what we can do is pass on the lessons in love of music and love of life that she has given us.

I have just learned with sadness of the death of Doris: she was for me a model of teacher, great educationalist and so human.
She taught several times to my students in Paris, she didn’t need to master French to settle communication with the students right away.
She supported and encouraged me when I encountered difficulties in my professional life.
She hosted us so well in San Diego, my family and myself, in Summer 1996, when Jean-François discovered their shared interest for Peet Seeger’s repertoire while listening to the records that used to belong to her husband. She organized a pleasant party with her students for me to meet them.
She came to my house: Aurélie remembers the visit in Giverny, in the house of the famous painter Monet; and Benjamin remembers the boat tour on the Seine, when he wore the captain cap.
We also visited the Versailles Castle, we had a picnic in the park with Dan and Ruth… On the evening Dan accompanied Amandine on the piano.
Doris will remain present in our mind as our great American friend.
We addressed our deepest sympathy and kindest regards to her family.

Doris was the first Suzuki teacher trainer I studied with many years ago, and she has inspired my teaching ever since. The energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and keenness she brought to all aspects of her musical life provided a role model for all, always. My condolences to her family.