Middle School Conductor

Dr. Sandy Goldie is Chair of the Department of Music and Director of Music Education at Virginia Commonwealth University in addition to being a symphony musician, string researcher, and frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for orchestras across the United States and abroad. She is an active guest conductor and clinician, working with many district, regional and state honors orchestras. She is an active guest speaker, presenting her work at state, national and international conferences (Midwest, ASTA, TMEA, NAfME, ISAME, SMTE, VMEA, GMEA, and others). She has promoted music education through leadership positions such as ASTA (as President of both VA and SC Chapters), VMEA (President, Higher Education), AVS (American Viola Society, VA executive board), NAfME (Southern Collegiate Representative), and founding director of the Future Music Educators Symposium (an honors program for high school juniors and seniors). She enjoys working with students of all ages in honors and All-State events around the country, including the SC All-State orchestra recently.  

She has performed professionally with symphonies in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia and has authored four string pedagogy books for teachers and conductors: Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra; Rehearsing the High School Orchestra; Rehearsing the Full Orchestra; and String Purchasing, Maintenance, Trouble-shooting and More. Her book, Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra went to #1 on Amazon in the orchestra category and her book on string problem-solving is used in many teacher training programs. She is the principal violist in the Fredericksburg Symphony and recently acted as orchestra adjudicator for the U.S. National Orchestra Festival sponsored by American String Teachers Association and the Victoria School Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia. Her greatest loves are her family, her dog (Eli), her cat (Charlie), and the joy of sharing the excitement of great music-making and teaching with her students and fellow teachers.