Deborah Duerer-Stewart (aka Mrs. Deb) was always musical. From the time that she was a toddler, the piano held a special place in her heart. Her parents would listen to her play, and her mom would constantly tell Deb how good it sounded. Her dad would remind her that the piano had a “soft pedal”. To this day, Deb never uses it.
She went to college in 2009-2013, and completed her degree in biochemistry, while teaching kids to not only play music, but to love it, as well.
Mrs. Deb acquired her first disabled student in 2009. She was the only teacher willing to teach a child with a severe learning disability. She acquired two more in 2010. She loved them all the same, and instead of focusing on notes and reading spots off of the page, she taught them to love music. All kids have "special needs", whether those needs are to belong, to be nurtured, or just to feel like someone cares for them. For all students, Deb encourages others in her classes to always be supportive to each other. Those with physical or mental handicaps are taught to embrace music, and the kids who are not physically or mentally handicapped are taught to show compassion, encouragement, and support. In June of 2016, Deb founded the Hope Through Harmony Community Outreach Program (non-profit), where student and staff volunteers visit, educate, and love on people in high-risk communities.
To date, she's worked with children and adults who are autistic, have ADHD, psychosis, schizophrenia, and severe depression. She also works with kids who are completely healthy, and has two performances a year for all children who want to participate. Adults are also more than welcome. It is never too late to learn a new skill!
The students learn piano, handbells, voice, and how to play individually or in groups. She teaches general music and piano primer classes for younger students. Also, she teaches vocal sight-reading for choral music. For those students who have no interest in reading notes, she has ear training classes and composition classes. Deb has a class created for every type of student. She has classes set up in the early evenings for children who go to school during the day, and Saturday classes are available for families who work and can't get to a class during the work week.
The end goal for Mrs. Deb is always the same - teach a child to passionate about music, and they will learn everything they need to in their own time. We are proud to serve the greater Houston, TX area. We want so much more than to just teach piano lessons, voice lessons, art lessons, and music lessons. Our goal is to help teach life lessons.