Meet the Directors

Carol Kushner

Carol received her Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and her Master of Music degree in Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College of the City University of New York, where she completed its Teacher Certification program and served as an adjunct lecturer. Carol holds New York State Teacher (music) certifications for grades K-12.   She received her Suzuki Certificate from the School for Strings, and also is a licensed Kindermusik® educator.  Carol studied with Raphael Bronstein, Ivan Galamian, and Sally Thomas at the Juilliard School, and participated in Master classes given by Nathan Milstein in Switzerland, Yfrah Neaman in England, and Yehudi Menuhin in New York City.  Prior to co-founding the Music Institute of Long Island, Carol served on the faculty of the Yuriko Kuronuma Academia in Mexico, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York, and the Dalton School in Manhattan, and was a Professor of violin at Five Towns College. In addition to being a teacher, Carol is a freelance musician in Manhattan and a tenured member of the Long Island Philharmonic, the Queens Symphony Orchestra and the St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra. Carol Kushner  is the Conductor of the Tzu Chi Youth Orchestra of Long Island,(TCYOLI).
With TCYOLI, Maestro Kushner  has performed in California including Disneyland, at Colden Auditorium at Queens College, and at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in NYC.

Geri Kushner

Geri received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College of the City University of New York and a Master of Music degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she was a teaching assistant.  Geri holds both New York State and New York City Teacher certifications for grades K-12.  She received her Suzuki Certificate from the School for Strings and also is a licensed Kindermusik® educator.  She studied with Raphael Bronstein, Ariana Bronne, Burton Kaplan, Sally Thomas, and Yfrah Neaman.  Prior to co-founding the Music Institute of Long Island, Geri served in the pre-college division of the Aaron Copland School of Music, directed the summer music program at Hofstra University, and was on the staff at the Dalton School in Manhattan.  She is an active performer with the Queens Symphony, and the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, and has performed throughout the metropolitan New York area, England, and Mexico.  Geri also has toured Japan with the New York Symphonic Ensemble. She has performed with Kristin Chenoweth, Adina Menzel, Jackie Evancho and the Three Irish Tenors, and is a member of the Concert Pops of Long Island. In addition, she is currently on the Music Faculty of the Friends Academy School and is a member of the Long Island and Mineola Choral Society Orchestra.