Music Institute of Long Island (MILI) - Best of Long Island Music School 90 Plandome Road @ the Community Reformed Church, Manhasset, NY 11030

"Carol Kushner is not only the most influential teacher in my life, but a mentor and a great friend to me in many ways. I spent many years studying violin with her at MILI and am forever grateful for my time there. She was a God send to me and had she not been there for me in my youth, I am not being facetious when I say that I might not have made it through. Carol isn't just any ordinary violin teacher. She is a great teacher and is gifted at what she does. She cares about you. She wants to infuse you with her passion and love for music and bring out your greatest potential. She loves her students, treats them like family, and is the most passionate music teacher I've ever known, who lives for it every day. She sleeps, eats, and breathes playing and teaching music and the violin. She has mentored and taught countless numbers of students, making an indelible positive impact on their lives forever. Carol completely transformed the way I play and how I listened to music. I came to her a very young, timid, ho-hum player, and came out a passionate, musical, and expressive musician who was able to pursue music to a high degree in my own life. Carol's musical influence upon my life still carries on to this day as I pass on the torch of music to my own children. She is not only the best children's violin teacher in all of New York, but also a phenomenally gifted and well-renowned violin teacher of all age groups, who can build any talent into a professional player. She has done it herself and has the resume to back it up! If you want your child to just have a nice time playing music and that's all, then Carol is probably not the right teacher for you. But if you want your child to not only play beautiful music and receive the best musical education they can get, but also have their lives changed for the better, then Carol and MILI is the right place for you. I love you, Carol! You're the best! And to all the rest of the MILI crew, you're the best school on Long Island, hands down!"

"My daughter Madeline has been going to MILI for almost 3 years. She takes piano lessons with Ms. Elena and violin lessons with Ms. Dorothy. Both teachers are amazing! They show an immense amount of patience and encouragement to help Madeline achieve her potential. She not only improved her musical instrument skills, but also slowly overcome her anxiety of performing on stage. Thank you MILI!"

"My son has been taking violin lessons at MILI for the past 4 ½ years with Carol Kushner. She has helped him immensely. She has taken the time to work with him and make him a better musician. His goal is to become a music teacher and she tirelessly worked with him to prepare for his college music auditions. She even loaned him her personal bow to practice and use at auditions. She is truly invested in his success and has gone above and beyond as his instructor and mentor."

"My daughter took lessons at another school and I felt that basics were not being taught correctly. Ms. Carol started from the beginning and taught the proper stance, finger positions and how to hold the bow properly. She has a great assessment of how each child is and caters to their individual personalities. Ms. Carol has spunky personality and I think part of it is to engage the younger children to have fun in class. Sometimes she can be strict but I think that discipline is necessary to produce a great student of anything and especially a difficult instrument like violin. I studied music as a child and I can deeply appreciate different methods she uses to improve certain techniques. Producing a great musician takes discipline of parents also and I appreciate that honesty from Ms. Carol. MILI has produced great musicians in the past and I hope my child comes to appreciate and love music like Ms. Carol and Ms. Geri."

"My daughter started learning violin with Ms Carol since she was 4 and a half. It was honestly the best experience! She absolutely loved going to violin class and the spring recital, the end of the year gala performance was such a grand experience for little kids to break out of their shell and learn from their peers! I cannot recommend MILI enough! Proud of being in the MILI family!"