Music Division: Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI)
Overview
Music Educators love to do many things . . . but what we believe they love best is teaching and playing!
As an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), Five Towns College is launching several initiatives to engage Music Educators and Performers to do the things they love doing- so whether it is teaching students music, singing, or playing instruments with other professional Music Educators-there is something here for you.
Explore and expand the scope of how you interact with students and other professionals in a number of ways under these Five Towns College initiatives.
Aside from applying/enrolling in any of the Graduate Music Division courses as a matriculated student, there may be a few Graduate Music Education Online Workshops being offered as well. In addition, a new and exciting initiative is the Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI). Join with us and learn about this dynamic program that will inspire, educate, and bring energy and enthusiasm to your professional life!
Details
Known as a “Music College” for the past 50 years, Five Towns College has never lost sight of its founding motivations-a love for music and business- and the thrills that come along when pursuing one’s passions. Through the years, the College has made expansive investments and established programming at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for music lovers- students who are focused on studying music to perform-instrumentality or vocally, compose, and teach as well as educators who are committed to continue their professional development to earn not only Master of Music degrees but Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, too.
Five Towns College was one of the very first institutions of higher education in New York State to register a doctorate program in the musical arts and has continued to have a deep footprint across the region for its professional and thriving programs. The Music Division is focused on developing opportunities for Music Educators at the Master and Doctorate levels. The Music Division faculty are also aware of the huge explosive growth of digital music in all of its genres across the generations of learners, including our most recent undergraduates representing Generation Z.
To that end, the College launched the Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI) to attract Music Educators and Performers to come play music with us! Amazing faculty members- accomplished and recognized in their own right as Musical Conductors and Composers- are leading the charge to build the Five Towns College Symphony Orchestra and large Wind Ensembles composed of public and private music teachers, private music educators, professional music players and students of music who will apply and audition to be considered for the opportunity to participate.
Those accepted into this Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI) will attend practices, rehearsals and scheduled performances while being enrolled in the Graduate Music Division academic programs leading to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree that will cover tuition by institutional scholarships. Further, those who opt in to study at the College will have access to the most current technology, software, and facilities. Additionally, the curriculum will provide instruction about pertinent musical and educational tools and insight to further develop as a professional educator. All this and the opportunity to perform in real time at the Five Towns College Performing Arts Center are components of the FPI.
Meet the Conductors
Dr. James P. McCrann:
Dr. James P. McCrann holds a B.S. and M.A. from Hofstra University, a P.D. in Administration and 
D.M.A. in Music Education and Wind Conducting from Rutgers University. Dr. McCann is the Wind Ensemble Conductor at Five Towns College. He has experience directing at the higher education level in Symphonic Band as well as teaching graduate courses in conducting and music education. He has been High School Director of Bands in Garden City since 1994 and has served as a District Arts Coordinator and Orchestra Conductor. During his tenure, Garden City music programs expanded by over four-fold, earning national recognitions from the Grammy Foundation and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). He was recognized by Grammy in the Schools, Pi Kappa Lambda, Tri-M, and School Band & Orchestra (SBO) magazine as one of “50 Directors Who Make a Difference.” Dr. McCrann is Band/Wind Ensemble Editor for NYSSMA, with research appearing in national and international publications and regional conferences. His collaboration with renowned composers, including Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec, Stephen Melillo, and Brian Balmages, culminated in new works for band, chorus, and orchestra.
Dr. Andrew Perea:
Dr. Perea holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Aaron Copland School at Queens 
College CUNY, a Master of Music degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and a Doctorate in Violin Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. He is one of the foremost string music educators on Long Island–known as an inspiring violinist, viola performer, chamber musician, and Orchestral Director. His extensive resume includes, in part, Executive Musical Director of The Hampton Festival Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of the Choral Society of the Hamptons, Co-founder and Executive Musical Director of the Peconic Youth Orchestra, Conductor of both the String and Repertory Orchestras in the Gemini Youth Orchestra program, and Director of the String Program at Five Towns College. His many professional collaborations have included performances with such legendary artists as Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Yanni, Gunther Schuler, and the world-renowned Violin Virtuoso Itzhak Perlman.
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Professor Jeffrey Sultanof:
Jeffrey Sultanof holds a B.A. from Queens College and a M.A. from Seton Hall University. He was editorial director at Warner Bros. Publications, where his clients included John
Williams, Burt Bacharach, Gordon Lightfoot, Chick Corea, Michael Jackson and many others. He edited “Arranged by Nelson Riddle,” and annotated four Gershwin scores in Facsimile Editions. He wrote arrangements for many different solo and instrumental combinations. He later worked at Hal Leonard Corp. where he edited books and produced CDs for Gerry Mulligan, Ron Carter, et. al. From 2002-2004, he was an administer in the Music Business division of Five Towns College.
He is senior editor at Jazz Lines Publications, where he has assisted in the editing and publication of arrangements written for Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., as well as composers such as Thad Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Foster, Bob Brookmeyer, Marty Paich, etc. Walrus Music distributes his compositions and arrangements. He has composed concerti for clarinetist Ken Peplowski and pianist Ted Rosenthal. He is the author of “Experiencing Big Band Jazz: A Listener’s Companion” which is a required text in the University of North Texas Jazz Program. Jeffrey Sultanof currently is an Adjunct Professor of Music, involved in many areas of the curriculum at Five Towns College.
Eligibility
To participate in the Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI), Music Educators/Performers must apply and be accepted. An audition is required that may be virtual or in-person.
Cost
Students registered for this program are required to pay the institutional Universal Fee. This is in effect for all those starting this Fall 2023. The fee cost ranges according to the credits taken. Please review the applicable fees below:
12+ credits $750.00
7-11 credits $550.00
1-6 credits $250.00
Graduate and Doctoral Fellowship Performance Initiative (FPI) Inquiry Form