Faculty & Staff

Dr. Stacey Larson Dolan is the Chief Academic Officer, Undergraduate Dean and Associate Director of Bands at VanderCook College of Music.  Dr. Dolan advises and teaches students through a variety of music educa­tion and conducting courses, as well as bands at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  Prior to 2004 and her appointment at VanderCook, Dr. Dolan taught at the middle school and high school level in both private and public education.  She was on the design and teaching staff of the National Champion Lake Park Marching Band for twelve years and was the creative director and conductor of the Bensenville Young Musicians Mentor Band from 1995-2007.

Originally from Itasca, IL, Dr. Dolan has been a guest conductor, presenter and clinician for hundreds of bands from the United States, Europe, Canada and China. Honor band conducting experiences include the Tianjin International School in Tianjin, China, the Tri-State Honor Band in Morehead, KY, the Music For All Summer Symposium, ILMEA, PMEA, OMEA, and many guest conducting and adjudication experiences throughout the U.S.  She was the recipient of the IGSMA Barbara Buehlman Young Conductor Award and the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award, has received the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from both Itasca School District #10 and VanderCook Col­lege of Music.  Dr. Dolan has been published in The Instrumentalist and her professional affilia­tions include Phi Beta Mu, NAfME, Vice President of AIMS, NBA, and CBDNA.  Dr. Dolan earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Millikin University and Master of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music.  She earned an EdD from the University of Northern Colorado with a minor in applied statistics and research methods.  Her research areas of inter­est include music teacher education, Care theory, teacher assessment, and teacher resilience.

To learn more about Dean Dolan’s journey in music education:

Stacey Larson Dolan on Women in Education

Stacey Larson Dolan speaks on her career journey from starting the flute in fifth grade to higher education.

Stacey Larson Dolan speaks on the basics of running a music classroom.

Stacey Larson Dolan speaks on how she works to achieve balance in her life.