Deborah Collins

VOICE, GUITAR, UKULELE, SONGWRITING

As a teen growing up in rural Michigan, Deborah wrote music, played in a rock band, and sang in choirs. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from MSU Denver, and has taught at Swallow Hill since 2014. She specializes in teaching voice (any level in any genre) and guitar (especially beginner-intermediate rhythm guitar). Deborah also teaches songwriting, music theory, and beginner ukulele. Deborah is great for tentative learners because she is friendly and positive. She strives to make each lesson fun, stress-free, and customized to your personal goals. Deborah works with all ages. She is currently a member of the indie band, The Deborah Solo Trio, and is the parent of two young kids.

First Concert: The first concert Deborah attended was Guster in 1999, when she was a freshman in high school. Her older sister drove her and her friends all the way to Detroit to see Guster open for a much bigger band. They made posters and T-shirts and the people working there let them run down to the front since hardly anyone else had arrived early enough to see the first opening band.

What song could you listen to all day long? “In a River” by Rostam; Deborah even learned some chords on the mandolin just to play along with it.

Favorite hangout? Deborah loves to take a yearly trip to Lake Michigan to visit her family at the cottage her grandparents built in the 1950s. It’s awesome to take her kids there because that’s where she spent her summers as a kid, too.

What is your favorite thing about Swallow Hill, or your favorite Swallow Hill memory? Deborah’s favorite Swallow Hill memories are when her students have had those great breakthrough moments. She also loves participating in the annual Teacher Feature concert, and getting to share the stage with all the amazing musicians who teach at Swallow Hill.

Looking for private lessons with Deborah? Click HERE for lesson availability at Yale and HERE for lesson availability online. To request an online lesson during Deborah's Yale availability (or vice versa), please contact the Front Desk - 303-777-1003 or info@swallowhillmusic.org.

If Deborah's availability is full, please contact the Front Desk - 303-777-1003. She may be able to extend her hours.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced musician looking to take your playing to another level, private lessons can help you get there! Private lessons are available for kids, teens, and adults for a variety of instruments and skill levels.

Please contact the Front Desk at 303-777-1003 if you need any assistance in finding a teacher or scheduling a lesson!

General Info & Policies

• Member discounts apply to private lessons ($2 off per 30 minutes)
• Students must register for their lesson(s) at least 24 hours before. Swallow Hill does not offer same-day scheduling.
• There are two options for scheduling, Recurring and A la Carte (see below for more details!)
• Lessons are not available to schedule more than 4 weeks in advance.
• All lessons are offered in 30-minute increments. To schedule a 60-minute lesson, please schedule two 30-minute segments back to back.

Recurring Lessons

Recurring students meet with their teachers weekly. Recurring lessons are great for students looking for a consistent and reliable schedule, and they are billed on a monthly basis. Students may keep their regular lesson time slot as long as the teacher is available and the monthly payments are made on time.

• Students may cancel a recurring private lesson at least 24 hours before the lesson to reschedule or receive an account credit on their account. No-shows and cancellations within less than 24 hours will not receive a refund or credit.
• If a student needs to cancel a recurring lesson, only one can be canceled each month. That cancellation must be more than 24 hours in advance of the lesson. No-shows and cancellations within less than 24 hours will not receive a refund or credit.
• If a student needs to change their recurring private lesson time or day, contact the Front Desk. We’ll do our best to find another time and day that will work for you. This will be at the discretion of the teacher’s schedule and space availability.
• Recurring lesson payments are billed monthly and due by the 20th of each month for the next month’s lessons.
• Prices*:
  • $32 for 30-minute lesson (member price $30)
  • $64 for 60-minute lesson (member price $60)

*An additional $1 off per half-hour discount is available for recurring lesson students who opt in to auto-payments.

A La Carte Lessons

For students who need more flexibility, our A La Carte lessons are designed so you can sign up for lessons as needed — whether it’s to supplement what you’re learning in group classes or just to work on a specific skill. If you’ve got an unpredictable schedule, A La Carte lessons help you maintain and build your skills when your calendar allows.

• Students may cancel a private lesson at least 24 hours before the lesson to reschedule or receive an account credit. No-shows and cancellations within less than 24 hours will not receive a refund or credit.
• Prices:
  • $33 for 30-minute lesson (member price $31)
  • $66 for 60-minute lesson (member price $62)

How to schedule private lessons:

In the calendar below, blue blocks are the available time slots for the instructor. Click "+# more" to see more available time slots for that day, then select a time slot. Selected time slots will turn green. Click Add to Cart. Private lessons are available to schedule up to 4 weeks in advance. If the date and time you wish to book is not available, please check back later. 

To choose multiple blocks of time (i.e. more than one lesson, or a 60-minute lesson), select your first time slot, click Add to Cart, click Continue Shopping, choose your second time slot, click Add to Cart, and so on. When you have added all the desired blocks to the cart, click Checkout.

To schedule recurring lessons (billed monthly), please select the same day, time, and lesson duration for each week (or every other week) available, then at checkout, be sure to select the “Recurring” option in the registration form. Please contact the front desk if you need assistance or have any questions!

Click here to view your existing schedule.

If you are taking the lesson(s) online, you will be emailed a Zoom meeting link for your lesson upon completing your order!