Music and Music Recording Technology Faculty
Instructors in the Music and Music Recording Technology degree programs hold master's and/or doctorate degrees from institutions such as Eastman School of Music, SUNY Buffalo, and Ithaca College. Each faculty member is a classically trained, practicing musician.
Our music recording instructors have considerable professional experience in the music industry as audio engineers. They have also worked with numerous professional musicians throughout the country.
Meet Your Music Instructors
Cathy Cushman
Cathy Cushman serves as an associate professor of music at FLCC. She attended Colby College, where she earned a BA in music and a certificate from the Piano Institute. She went on to the Eastman School of Music to earn her master's while completing her doctoral studies in musicology. She also holds a master's in higher education administration from SUNY Brockport. Cushman previously taught at Hartwick College and Nazareth College. Currently, she teaches courses in music history and theory. When not teaching music, Cushman enjoys reading, running, yoga, and is renowned for her devotion to the Boston Red Sox.
Contact Information
Phone: (585)785-1256
Office: 2321
Email: Cathy.Cushman@flcc.edu
Ines Draskovic
Ines Draskovic has been an associate professor of music at FLCC since 2004 and has taught at the College since 1996. Previously, she was a faculty member at Ithaca College. Dr. Draskovic received a doctorate of musical arts in piano performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, a master's of music in performance in piano from Ithaca College, and a bachelor's of music at the University of Musical Arts in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Her teachers include Alexei Nasedkin, Phiroze Mehta and Rebecca Penneys. Dr. Draskovic has performed throughout Europe and the United States and has won several piano competitions, including the Ithaca College Concerto Competition and the Republic of Serbia Piano Competition. Additionally, she was a finalist in a piano competition in Stresa, Italy. She has participated in festivals and masterclasses in Italy, Poland, Germany, the United States, and former Yugoslavia. In addition to her solo career, Dr. Draskovic performs regularly with the Finger Lakes Chorale, College Singers, and Rochester-based chamber music orchestra, Cordancia.
Contact Information
Phone: (585)785-1322
Office: 3706
Email: Ines.Draskovic@flcc.edu
Bob Potter
Bob Potter is the Recording Studio Manager/Technical Specialist at FLCC. He's worked at the College since 2003. Previously, Potter was an independent touring sound engineer and founded Cabin Fever Recording studios. In addition to working as a production manager/engineer for the Iron Horse Entertainment Group, he was an audio engineer for the Newport Folk/Jazz Festivals and the Ken Burns PBS documentary film "Jazz". Potter developed SUNY's first sound reinforcement/live recording class offering students the option to pursue other audio engineering interests. In the course of a 40-year engineering career, Potter has been behind the console for some of the biggest names in the business including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Norah Jones, Sir George Martin, Miles Davis, Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Ringo Starr, Emmy Lou Harris, Zac Brown, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. His production and recording credits have led to albums and CD's that have sold in more than 40 countries.
Contact Information
Phone: (585)785-1446
Office: 2677
Email: Robert.Potter@flcc.edu
Kari Ripley
Kari Ripley has worked as the Music Recording Technical Specialist since 2008. She holds an A.S. in Music Recording Technology from FLCC and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Cinema and Photography with a film production concentration from Ithaca College. While in Los Angeles, she worked on television, film, and internet productions for NBC, InStyle Magazine, HBO, and Disney. She also received a Master of Arts in Sound Design for Video Games from the University of Chichester in England. Ripley continues to record and contribute music and sound effects for various projects in music recording, film, and video games. She currently teaches courses in audio recording, audio for film, music business, and music notation.
Contact Information
Phone: (585)785-1631
Office: 2363
Email: Kari.Ripley@flcc.edu
Geoff Smith
Geoff Smith has served as a music professor at FLCC since 1998. Smith earned a master's degree in jazz and contemporary media from the Eastman School of Music, a New York State teacher's certification from Nazareth College, and a bachelor's degree in music performance from SUNY Brockport. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Larry Coryell, Maureen McGovern, Charlie Byrd, Tal Farlow, Gene Bertoncini, and Chuck Mangione, as well as with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chatauqua Orchestra. He has also played for the national tours of "Grease," "Titanic," "Annie," "Fiddler on the Roof," and "Five Guys Named Moe."
Contact Information
Phone: (585)785-1244
Office: 2324
Email: Geoffrey.Smith@flcc.edu