Sandra Doneski

About:

Dr. Sandra Doneski has taught in the Department of Music at Gordon College since 1999. She has been a teacher of music to students in kindergarten through graduate school. She teaches courses in music education methods, learning theory, assessment, curriculum development. She also supervises student teachers and conducts the Gordon College Children’s Choir. Dr. Doneski founded the Children’s Choir in 2000 to give children in the community an opportunity to grow as musicians, and music education majors an opportunity to develop as teachers and conductors.

Dr. Doneski has also served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory (NEC) Preparatory School, where she was associate conductor of the Children’s Choir Program. Under her guidance, NEC implemented choral programs for early elementary and middle school students that focused on vocal pedagogy and building musicianship. She has served as a conductor for events in the northeast sponsored by the Music Educators National Conference (now National Association for Music Education [NAfME]) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and is co-founder of Embracing the New Music Educator, a mentoring program for new music educators in Massachusetts.  

In 2009, Dr. Doneski was the recipient of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Lowell Mason Award and the Society for General Music in Massachusetts Excellence in General Music Award. In 2012 she received the MMEA Distinguished Service Award, and in 2013 she received the Administrators in Music Education Visionary Leadership Award.

Dr. Doneski has published articles and conducted workshops on choral literature and techniques, curriculum development, assessment and mentoring. She recently co-authored "Research on Elementary and Secondary School Singing," a chapter in the MENC Handbook of Research on Teaching and Learning in Music Education.