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Leadership
KRISTEN BURNETTE
President
Kristen Burnette is an elementary music educator based in Manhattan. She received her Bachelor’s in Music Education from NYU and has been teaching at Columbia Grammar School since 2020. Over the past three summers in St. Paul, Minnesota, she completed her Kodály training at the University of St. Thomas. Approaching musical concepts through authentic and varied repertoire, Kristen cultivates a curious, dynamic, and inclusive music class with her students. In addition to choral singing, one of her passions outside of the classroom is writing and performing original music. She is enthusiastic about connecting with fellow music educators in New York and beyond!
JODI ABRAMS
Treasurer
Jodi Abrams has enjoyed serving as Member-at-Large on the KONY board during the 2023-24 school year. Jodi is the General Music Teacher and Choral Director at West End Elementary School in Lynbrook. She previously taught music and chorus at P.S. 20 in Flushing, Queens. She received her Bachelor's of Music from New York University Steinhardt. She completed her Kodály levels at Loyola University Maryland, where she also earned her Master's degree in Kodály Music Education. During the summer, Jodi is the Discovery Music Teacher at Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts.
JAQUETTA BUSTION
Secretary
Jaquetta Bustion has been a pianist since childhood and has been a music educator for over twenty years. At Brown University, Jaquetta earned BAs in Music and Comparative Literature, followed by an MA in Music and Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jaquetta completed her Kodály levels at New York University and previously served on the KONY board of directors. Over decades in the classroom, she has taught children from ages 4 to middle school, in both public and private settings. An active performer with Accord Treble Choir, Jaquetta also has been a keynote speaker and presenter at Bank Street’s Teaching Kindergarten Conference. Jaquetta currently develops curriculum and teaches elementary music at Community Roots Charter School in Brooklyn.
JOHN SAMONTE
Member-at-Large, Website
John Samonte is a choral director at the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District. He conducts the 6th Grade Treble Choir, the 7th & 8th Grade Chamber Choir, and directs the elite show choir and all-male singing group at Albert G. Prodell Middle School.
He has taught general music, choir, and orchestra at both the elementary and secondary level. John received his Kodály certificate from the Hartt School in Hartford, CT. In addition to his studies in Kodály, he has studied Orff Schulwerk, World Music Drumming, Suzuki, and holds several certificates with FAME. He is currently the Past President of the Long Island American Orff Schulwerk Association, a Member at Large for the Choral Society of the Moriches, and President-Elect of the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association.
John earned his Bachelor of Music from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. He majored in Music Business and Music Education, with concentrations in Voice, Violin, and Special Music Education. In addition to his applied music studies, John holds a Master of Arts in Music & Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
STEPHEN BUCK
Member-at-Large
Stephen Buck serves as the Performing Arts Department Chair and teaches 5th-12th chorus at Brooklyn Friends School. He completed his levels at New England Conservatory, and was awarded the 2012 International Kodály Society’s scholarship to study in Kecskemét, Hungary. Stephen currently teaches in the levels program at the Kodály Music Institute in Massachusetts, has served on the Boston Area Kodály Educator’s board, and is currently president-elect of OAKE’s Eastern Division. An avid singer and choral conductor, he has performed with Cantori New York, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and Ars Nova (Hungary) and has conducted groups with the Boston City Singers, Ithaca Children’s Chorus, and the Worcester Children’s Chorus.
MADOLYN ACCOLA
Past President
Madolyn Accola teaches music at Friends Seminary and is an associate conductor for the National Children’s Chorus. Prior to joining the Friends Seminary faculty, Madolyn worked at VOICE Charter School where she prepared choirs to sing at renowned performance venues such as Symphony Space, El Museo del Barrio, Nassau Coliseum, and Madison Square Garden. As a Kodály and Orff-Shulwerk certified practitioner, Madolyn has continued her studies internationally in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ghana, and Bulgaria. She has led sessions for the Organization of American Kodály Educators, the New York State School Music Association, Hunter College, and several other music education organizations. Her writing is published in Kaleidescope, a Collection of Standards-Based Lessons for the K-8 General Music Classroom, The Orff Echo, and The Review (The Parents League of New York). Madolyn holds a Master of Arts degree in music education from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from New York University. As an avid choral singer, rounds party attendee, and Balkan folk dancer, Madolyn believes in the power of communal music making to promote social change.
Get Involved!
We would love to have you on the board! Email konylist@gmail.com to get started.
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