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I’m Sofia Debus, and I have been teaching Suzuki Method and AMEB violin and cello students aged 3+ in beautiful Armidale New South Wales since 2008.

Heart Strings Academy students enjoy the highest level of dedicated, skilled and nurturing guidance to achieve consistently outstanding A+ AMEB results including Distinction in AMusA, HSC Music Encore nominations three years in a row 2022-2024, Suzuki Graduation levels, outstanding achievement at local Eisteddfods and successful applications to nationally recognised orchestral programs such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy (in violin and cello), Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists and National Music Camp (also violin and cello), Sydney Youth Orchestra, Musica Viva Strike a Chord (prizewinners), the Australian Honours Ensemble Program at Queensland Conservatorium, and Queensland Youth Orchestras.
Heart Strings Academy students are very active in Armidale chamber and orchestral programs, with many holding leadership positions.

I organise annual masterclasses with an expert teacher in both violin and cello. Many students are also part of the NECOM Scholarship program and enjoy masterclasses with visiting artists through the year.

The focus in my teaching is to help students create structurally and stylistically aware performances by understanding and applying appropriate techniques. This includes helping them to form tension free and flexible movements that will allow them to perform with ease, and remain injury-free for a lifetime of playing enjoyment.

Qualifications

Bachelor of Music Violin (Distinction) Lucerne Conservatorium Switzerland
LMusA & AMusA Cello (Distinction)
Advanced Certificate in Music Performance and Communication Skills – Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London.
Bachelor of Education (Special Education) Flinders University S.A.
Certified Violin and Cello Teacher, Suzuki Talent Education Association of Australia

My wonderful teachers have been Alita Larsens, Beryl Kimber OBE, Jack Glickman on violin, Frances Firth and Takao Mizushima on cello.
I have completed teacher training with Rick Mooney (US), Pam Devenport (US), Andrea Yun (US), Carey Cheney (Canada), Carey Beth Hockett (US), Sally Brown (NZ), Brian Lewis (US), Koen Rens (BE), Noa Kageyama (US), Gillian Churchill (AUS) and Takao Mizushima (AUS).

I have been casual-listed with Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, and have also performed with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra.
During 2006-07 and in 2011, I taught violin, viola and cello at Tamworth Regional Conservatorium of Music.

It is a great responsibility, honour and privilege to be trusted with the musical development of young children. Together, families and I strive for the highest possible standards and nurturing of excellence.

Why Suzuki Method?

Learning to play an instrument with the Suzuki method is about creating a positive, nurturing environment in which teachers, students, and parents all play a vital role in the learning process.

Babies talk before they read words, and so we believe all children can develop musical ability in much the same way: through listening, imitation, repetition and memorisation.

The Heart Strings Academy Suzuki program incorporates private lessons with parent education and student workshops to educate and motivate students in all aspects of learning music.

Suzuki Philosophy

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was the founder of the worldwide music education movement known as the Suzuki Method. Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1898, he was the son of Japan’s first and largest violin manufacturer. Suzuki taught using the concept ‘character first, ability second’.
His goal was to embrace the whole child, nurturing a love of music and the development of a fine character rather than just the mastering of a musical instrument.

He established a school in Matsumoto, Japan and since then his unique method has spread to the world as a way of educating children not only in music but also in a lifelong love of learning.

Mother Tongue Approach
This learning approach at home and in the lessons is made to closely mirror language development in very young children. Listening, imitation and repetition are all crucial in the process of learning a language and Dr. Suzuki utilized those same techniques in teaching young children to play a musical instrument.
‘With patience and repetition, the seed blossoms’
All children are capable of musical ability with the right environment
The second concept is the belief is that all children are capable of musical ability, not just those with “talent”. The idea that talent is not inborn but can be taught to all children is the basis for “talent education.”
This doesn’t mean that everyone will achieve the same level of competence at their chosen instrument, but that everyone has potential. The right combination of environment and hard work will result in success, not only in music but in all aspects of life.
’I firmly believe that cultural and musical aptitude does not come from within, and is not inherited, but occurs through suitable environmental conditions’
The Suzuki Triangle
This is a term used to describe the equal role that the student, teacher and parent all play in the child’s learning
process. The parent observes and takes notes in each lesson, and the teacher interacts with both the student and parent in order to ensure that the parent has an understanding of the week’s practice goals.
The parent becomes the “at home teacher”, creating a musical environment with plenty of affection, support and encouragement. They can assist the child with focusing the practice time on the important concepts covered in each lesson. This creates a strong bond between parents and child that can last a lifetime.
‘Where there is love, much will be accomplished’

Solfège

Unique to Heart Strings Academy is the use of ‘fixed-do’ solfège.

The ‘fixed do’ solfège system dates back to the 11th century and is used today in countries such as Japan, China, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Macedonia, Israel, Russia, Latvia, Romania, Latvia, Quebec, Latin America, Lebanon, Turkey and Israel.

In fixed-do training, a pitch always has the same solfège name, so for example the note C is always called ‘do’, the note D is always called ‘re’, the note E is always called ‘mi’ etc. In this way, use of ‘fixed do’ in the lesson and at home reinforces an association between a tone’s pitch and its name.

Extensive use of the ‘fixed do’ system has led to the development of perfect pitch (Absolute Pitch) in multiple Heart Strings Academy students, as tested using the Criterion Test for Absolute Pitch, Psychology of Music 2014, Vol 42(1) 86 – 111 ‘A longitudinal study of the process of acquiring absolute pitch: A practical report of training with the ‘chord identification method’ by Ayako Sakakibara.

Graduation

The Suzuki graduation system is not a pass or fail system. When a student is ready to create a Graduation recording, they are invited to do this by the teacher.

Graduation is a means of acknowledging the student’s completion of a level in the Suzuki repertoire. In order to graduate:

A video recording of the child’s performance of the graduation piece is made with CD accompaniment. The video recording is submitted to a Suzuki Teacher Trainer.
The student receives a personal report on their Graduation video recording from the Suzuki Teacher Trainer, a beautiful graduation certificate, and a thrilling opportunity to play onstage at the Annual Suzuki Graduation Concert at the Sydney Opera House.
Graduating students are required to be Family Members of the NSW Suzuki Association suzukimusicnsw.com.au

The Annual Suzuki Graduation Concert

Each year there is a Graduation Concert held at the Opera House in November.
This is a fantastic event where all students perform graduation pieces together. In previous years, an average of 750 students take part in the event.

Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)

Some students choose to supplement their Suzuki study with Australian Music Examinations Board exams, (AMEB) from approximately AMEB Grade 4.
Students from Heart Strings have received A+ grades up to and including Certificate of Performance in violin and Certificate of Performance in cello in the AMEB system.
Level 3 exams (Certificate of Performance, AMus, LMus) are by invitation.