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Newly Established JP North Country Music Scholarship Supports
Tri-County Students Pursuing Music Studies
Published: March 07, 2026 at
04:30 p.m.
By: Press Release
from NNY Community Foundation
Newly Established JP North Country Music Scholarship Supports
Tri-County Students Pursuing Music Studies
Seniors are Encouraged to Apply to the Community
Foundation by May 1
 WATERTOWN — Jefferson, Lewis,
and St. Lawrence County students in the Class of 2026 who plan to pursue
studies in music are encouraged to apply by May 1 to the Northern New York
Community Foundation for the JP North Country Music Scholarship.
A total of $1,500
in scholarship support is available with preference given to students who
plan to attend SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. Qualified music
students should apply for the JP North Country Music Scholarship through
the Community Foundation’s online scholarship portal at bit.ly/nnycf-scholarships.
The JP North
Country Music Scholarship was recently established at the Community
Foundation through the generosity of acclaimed music educator and
percussionist James “JP” Petercsak who
devoted more than five decades to SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.
Professor Emeritus Petercsak joined the faculty in 1968 and served as head
of percussion until his retirement in 2023.
“This scholarship
supports the values of the people from the North Country while inspiring
future musicians to pursue their dreams in music and develop their talents;
it is one more way to help young musicians in the community succeed,”
Professor Emeritus Petercsak said. “I am honored to partner with the
Community Foundation to help developing musicians on their educational
journeys. The Foundation brings a sense of community to the people who live
in Northern New York, and this is a way to help some of our own students and
people from the North Country.”
Renowned for his
artistry and vision, Professor Emeritus Petercsak, affectionately known as
“JP,” performed with world-class orchestras, opera companies, and
entertainers, while also expanding Crane’s percussion curriculum to embrace
diverse musical traditions. He touched the lives of countless students, and
his influence is felt globally. His students have gone on to enjoy
successful careers on multiple continents, becoming educators at many of
the world’s finest colleges and universities, in-demand performers, accomplished
composers, arrangers, arts administrators, advocates for the arts and
executives in the music business industry.
The JP North
Country Music Scholarship extends his life’s work in many facets of music
as a performer, teacher,
conductor,
clinician, consultant, and as a music industry personality and visionary.
The scholarship also ensures that his spirit of innovation, generosity, and
dedication to music performance-teaching will continue to inspire young
musicians for generations to come.
“Mr. Petercsak has inspired many music students throughout
his career, and we are honored to work together with him in a way that will
continue his impact on the lives of others in a meaningful and enduring way,”
said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director.
Professor
Emeritus Petercsak’s achievements and honors as a music educator and
percussionist are extensive. He was recognized as a SUNY Distinguished
Teaching Professor and, in 2003, was honored by the SUNY Potsdam Alumni
Association with an Honorary Life Membership. He is a former international president
of the Percussive Arts Society, and in recognition of his extraordinary
contributions, he was inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame. He was also
instrumental in the establishment of the Crane Institute for Music Business
and Entrepreneurship.
In Photo: James Petercsak
About the
Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the
Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and
enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson,
Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through
partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual
donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an
endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment
to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for
generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community
philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community
Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors,
professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring
people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy
Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions
that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and
play.
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