Mary Ellen Junda, DME

Professor of Music (Education)

(860) 486-2759
Mary.Junda@uconn.edu

Mary Ellen Junda is a nationally recognized master teacher, conductor, recording artist, and a specialist in the Kodály Concept of Music Education. With energy and style, Junda has presented sessions on children's vocal development and musical literacy for choir directors, music teachers, and classroom teachers across the United States. She has conducted 2001 OAKE National Youth Choir and numerous festival choirs throughout the country. Junda was awarded a 2002 Howard Foundation Fellowship in Music Performance from Brown University for her work with children's choirs.

In 2003 Junda became the artistic director of The Main Street Singers, a children's choir committed to creating harmony and artistic excellence among a diverse community of children in Greater New Britain, Connecticut. The Main Street Singers has performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, was the invited guest choir for the 2006 ACDA Children's Honor Choir Concert, and will be featured in a session at the 2007 MENC Eastern Region Conference.

From 1992 to 2003, Junda was the founding director of the University of Connecticut Treblemakers Children's Choir. She has released three award-winning recordings with the Treblemakers, Singing with Treblemakers: Songs for Young Singers, Singing with Treblemakers: Our Favorite Folk Songsand Treblemakers Jazz it Up! with Professor Earl MacDonald and the UConn Jazz Combo. All of the recordings have received national acclaim, earned coveted Parents' Choice Awards, and been featured in parenting magazines and educational journals. The recordings are available at www.cdbaby.com.

Junda is the author of the K-6 Vocal Development Sequence in the Silver Burdett Ginn 2002 Making Music and recorded 44 songs with Treblemakers for the series. Her articles have been published in the Music Educators Journal, Journal of Music Teacher Education, International Kodály Society Bulletin, and Connecticut Music Educators' News. Junda can be found teaching children to sing on the MENC video Singing in General Music.

A professor of music at the University of Connecticut, Junda teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education. She has been awarded a Provost's Grant to prepare a new general education course, Sing and Shout! The History of America in Song, for university students.

Junda has earned a bachelor of music degree, magna cum laude, from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, a master of music education degree from Holy Names College, and master and doctor of education degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University.