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Obituary

Violin teacher Charlotte Murrin dies

"Her greatest joy was watching those kids walk on the stage with confidence in their talent," her husband, Kenneth, said.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published March 23, 2006

SPRING HILL - Joy Pritz has fond memories of her time under the tutelage of violin teacher Charlotte Murrin. It seemed that no matter how much Pritz struggled through a lesson, the slight woman who spoke with a soft French accent always had a pleasant word of encouragement to offer.

"She had a way of making you feel good about yourself and your playing, no matter how poorly you played," said Pritz, who studied six years with Mrs. Murrin and is currently pursuing her master's degree in violin performance at the University of South Florida. "She saw potential in every child, regardless of their natural ability. She never gave up on a student."

Mrs. Murrin, who spent 14 years teaching hundreds of Hernando County youngsters the finer points of playing the violin, died Monday (March 20, 2006) at Spring Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center after a long battle with cancer. She was 75.

Kenneth Murrin, her husband of 33 years, said teaching was a calling for the woman known to her students as Miss Charlotte.

"She did it with a lot of love," said Murrin. "Her greatest joy was watching those kids walk on the stage with confidence in their talent."

Born in St. Maurice, Quebec, Mrs. Murrin began playing music at an early age, first as an organist in her family's church. In her teens, she began learning the violin, and she later studied at Queensborough College in New York. By the time she and her husband moved to Hernando County in 1991, she already had taught violin for more than 30 years. The county didn't offer a strings program in its schools, so when she was asked by Hernando Symphony Orchestra conductor Marvin Rosenberg to start one, she quickly agreed.

"She took up the gauntlet when no one else would," Rosenberg said. Using the Suzuki Violin Method, a teaching technique aimed specifically at teaching the instrument to young children, Miss Charlotte's Suzuki Strings quickly attracted students.

"Charlotte had a special way of relating to young people," said Wayne Raymond, the current conductor of the Hernando Symphony Orchestra. "She was very patient and understanding, but at the same time always encouraging them to a higher level. I think the proof of that can be seen in the large number of skilled musicians who came out of her program."

Her husband said that Mrs. Murrin found it hard to say no when it came to teaching violin. Up until her illness a few years ago, she maintained a schedule that included 45 to 55 private lessons each week. She taught an additional 200 students in group classes each week at Chocachatti Elementary School.

"When they came, they tended to stay," said Ken Murrin.

Former student Christina Adams, 16, agreed, saying that Mrs. Murrin always tried to make music fun.

"She gave us a lot of opportunities to perform around the county," said Adams, who will be among several students who will play at Mrs. Murrin's funeral. "We were always busy."

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Murrin is survived by brothers Andre and Guy LeFebvre and sisters Martha Guilbert and Pierrette Trudeau, all of Quebec.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today and 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at Turner Funeral Homes Spring Hill Chapel. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Spring Hill.

Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 352 848-1435.

[Last modified March 23, 2006, 02:15:42]