Debora DeWitt, Professor of Music, is the head of the piano department at GRCC where she also teaches music theory, aural comprehension, piano techniques, and composition. Dr. DeWitt began teaching at GRCC in 2008. Prior to that she held the position of Associate Professor of Music and Department Chair at Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana. Dr. DeWitt has also taught at Iowa State University and Michigan State University. She earned the Ph.D. in music composition and the M.M. in Piano Performance from Michigan State University. Her B.A. in piano performance and theory-composition is from Calvin College.
Dr. DeWitt is an accomplished pianist and has appeared in recitals and concerts throughout the Midwest and in China. Some recent performances include a duo-recital as part of Trinity Lutheran’s Celebration of Music Concert Series with her faculty colleagues, Justin Colwell, Caleb Wenzel, and Libor Ondras. She has also given recitals in Dali, China and Shanghai, China. She has appeared in collaborative recitals with tubist, Dr. Robert Lynn, at Huntington University in Indiana, with clarinetist Robert Jones at Manchester University, and with her piano partner, Dr. Sarah Miller, at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has also appeared several times as a soloist and as a duo-pianist with the Manchester Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. DeWitt’s compositions have been performed throughout the world. Her compositions Prayer for Peace and Parting were both premiered at Carnegie Hall. Prayer for Peace was also performed in the great cathedrals of Florence, Assisi, and Lucca, Italy. Her duo-piano work Three Portraits for piano four-hands was commissioned by the Indiana Music Teachers Association and premiered by the famous duo-piano team of Dallas Weekley and Nancy Arganbright. Her Song Cycle for a Bereaved Mother was performed by Hong Kong soprano Rosaline Pi at The Hong Kong University in 1995.
Dr. DeWitt is a life-long learner and was awarded the Dalcroze Professional Certificate in July of 2024. The Dalcroze certificate is an internationally recognized certificate that emphasizes the embodiment of musical concepts. Dr. DeWitt uses Dalcrozian strategies and principles in all of her courses.
An experienced academic, in addition to teaching piano, music theory, and composition, Dr. DeWitt has taught courses in orchestration, aural skills, counterpoint, women in the arts, experiencing the arts, American music, computer applications in music, electronic music, 20th-century music, and sacred music.
Dr. DeWitt is a member of Music Teachers National Association, Michigan Music Teachers Association, Piano Teachers Forum of Grand Rapids. She served as Secretary for the Michigan Music Teachers Association for six years. Dr. DeWitt is a past member of the Indiana Music Teachers Association where she served on the Executive Board as theory coordinator for six years. She is also a member of the Dalcroze Society of America.
Dr. DeWitt loves the opportunities available for students here at GRCC and is thrilled to work with such talented students and to work alongside such an amazing faculty.
What do you like best about teaching at GRCC?
Helping students discover their strengths, and knowing that I work at an institution that makes a difference in the world.
What are the strengths of your program?
High quality faculty members with a desire to help students achieve the best in themselves. Students who desire to become the best musicians and scholars that they can be.
What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you were first starting out in your profession?
That faculty members really do want to help you and want you to visit them during their office hours.
How has your ability to connect with students changed in a positive way during the pandemic?
Seeing students meet the challenges of attending college, while taking care of their family and working, through the pandemic has reminded me of what challenges I faced in college and I can relate.
