Edel McDonnell

Edel McDonnell serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Musicianship and Academic Studies at Munster Technological University's (MTU) Cork School of Music since 2006, with additional periodic lecturing roles at Technological University Dublin and Marino Institute of Education (Trinity College Dublin affiliate).

Her educational foundation includes:

• South East Technological University Waterford (SETU), 1999
• Royal Irish Academy of Music, 2002
• MTU Cork School of Music, 2005

She maintains continuous professional development through certificates from the British Kodály Academy (University of Roehampton), Silver Lake College, The Hartt School (University of Hartford), and Mason Community Arts Academy (George Mason University).

Her research centers on Early Childhood Music Education methodologies, particularly Kodály and Orff approaches, with specialized focus on Solfège training, Conversational Solfege, and teacher development through singing interventions in Irish early years classrooms.

Recognition includes:

• Dublin Feis Ceoil performance prize
• MTU Cork School of Music's Bernard Curtis Prize for piano
• Multiple Silver Lake College scholarships

She actively contributes to academic discourse through international conference presentations at venues like the European Network of Music Educators and Researchers of Young Children Conference (Belgium) and European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference (Greece), while championing Kodály-inspired pedagogy that builds musicianship through singing and movement for holistic learner development.