Debbie Lee

While growing up in California, Debbie’s love for music and especially for the keyboard was encouraged by her high school piano teacher, Kathleen Marie Buswell, a student of the great Russian pianist Josef Lehvinn. She also had the privilege of studying piano with renowned pedagogues John Perry, Antoinette Perry, and Lucy DeSa and organ with Dr. Patricia Lamb. Debbie attended Univ. of Calif., Irvine, where she studied piano performance with Nina Scolnik, a Taubman Technique certified clinician and a faculty member at Taubman Institute and Golandsky Institute. While at UCI, Debbie was introduced to Taubman Technique by her teacher. It changed her piano playing entirely and started her journey of developing and teaching techniques that will produce excellent tone and prevent the injuries related to playing the piano.

In 2003, after teaching the traditional method for 15 years, Debbie came across the Suzuki method while researching for a method for pre-reading students and fell in love with the philosophy and nurturing environment for learning and teaching. Since then, she has been a diligent student of this pedagogy and continues to further her training. Her Suzuki trainers include Dr. Doris Harrel, Rita Houck, Nightingale Chen, Sue Vasquez, Dr. Ray Landers, and Sue Kwak.

Debbie enjoys a life of devotion to teaching the piano, especially to her pupils, fostering in them a love for music for life and a strong sense of the discipline of learning. Along with maintaining a private studio, she has played both piano and organ in numerous churches.

After spending nine years in The Woodlands, TX, Debbie and her family relocated to the Pacific northwest in 2012. She had maintained active studios in Irvine, CA, the Woodlands, TX, and now in Camas, WA, as a Suzuki teacher and an active member of MTNA and Houston Area Suzuki Piano Association (HASPA). Her professional affiliations include Suzuki Association of America (SAA), Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Washington State Music Teachers Association (WSMTA), Oregon Music Teachers Association (OMTA), and Music Teachers Association of Clark County (MTACC, fka CCMTA).