Michael Hershkowitz

Michael Hershkowitz is the Director of Fine and Performing Arts at Islip Schools. A lifelong musician, Michael has a diverse background, including public education, marketing, publicity, arts administration, stage management, and artist relations. At the beginning of his career, Michael taught elementary and high school band, jazz band, and marching band, and was founder and president of the Long Island Symphonic Winds. He later worked as a Marketing Associate and Endorsing Artist manager for the Thomastik-Infeld string company. 

Michael joined the Music Department at Stony Brook University in 2006 as Concert Manager and was then appointed Executive Director of the Stony Brook Community Music Program beginning in 2007. Since that time, the program grew from a small chamber music program to a comprehensive music school with an academic year and summer opportunities for children in pre-K to 12th grade, as well as workshops for adult musicians. Michael also served as the pre-concert lecturer for the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra and was the co-creator of the Staller Center Instrument Petting Zoo. Michael has also taught introductory seminars for freshmen and founded Long Island Music Educators, a discussion and information platform for music teachers in Nassau and Suffolk counties. 

Michael earned his undergraduate degree in Music Education at James Madison University and completed his graduate study in Music and a post-graduate certificate in Educational Leadership at Stony Brook University. Michael originally hails from Long Island and lives there with his wife, a soprano and choral conductor, and his two children.