About

DEBORAH SMITH
B Mus (Distinction); Grad Dip Teach; A Mus A (Clar); ATCL (Pno)

Deborah Smith began her musical career as a clarinettist, studying with Floyd Williams, and pianist, studying with Charles Glenn, at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, where she completed her Bachelor of Music Performance degree with distinction.

Upon discovering a passion for teaching others about music, Deborah went on to further study in the field of music education, in particular the Kodály method of music teaching. She has a Graduate Diploma of Teaching in Primary and Secondary Music and is a graduate of the Holy Names ( California ) Summer Institute. Deborah studied with numerous experts in Kodály methodology such as Judith Johnson, Anne Comiskey, Ed Bolkovac, Sayuri and Merill Debski and Koti Forrai.

Her first teaching position was as classroom music teacher at the renowned Kodály school: Clayfield College in QLD where she worked alongside inspirational teachers such as Judith Johnson, Gwen Burguez and James Cuskelly.

Her other numerous teaching experiences include Head of Junior School Music at Scotch College, Director of Music at Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School and Director of Music at Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School. In these positions she developed and implemented successful, fully aural based programmes for students from Kinder to VCE. She has also been invited to lecture in musicianship, aural training and pedagogy at various tertiary institutions.

Deborah is a respected authority on the Kodály approach to teaching and aural training. She is the author of the highly successful "Musicianship and Aural Training for the Secondary School" series of music texts and compact discs. She has written and taught the Lower Secondary Course for the Victorian branch of the Kodály Music Education Institute of Australia (KMEIA) ( the first time this course has ever been taught in Australia) and has been invited to give numerous conference presentations, lectures, workshops and aural training sessions to music students, teachers and student-teachers where her informative, enthusiastic and entertaining style has always been well received.