Information About Ben - Muswell Hill teacher

Personal Description:

Ben is an active Jazz pianist and session musician. Ben started musical life as a chorister at Exeter Cathedral (2001-2005). Ben graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with an MA in Jazz Piano in 2015. Whilst at college Ben studied harmony and composition under respected Jazz artists such as Huw Warren, Iain Ballamy, Nick Weldon, Dave Cliff and Steve Waterman. This has also included performance masterclasses with artists such as Gilad Hekselman, Jacqui Dankworth, Empirical, Tim Garland, Stan Sulzmann, Polar Bear, Kit Downes and John Turville. Prior to college, Ben was a member of Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra (2005-2010) and played at Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland in July 2010. During his time with DYJO Ben was able to attend workshops with artists such as Mark Lockheart, Mark Nightingale, Dave O’Higgins, Bruce Adams, Clark Tracey, John Etheridge and Greg Abate. Ben was also invited to attend regional masterclasses with the National Youth Jazz Collective (NYJC), whose tutors included Mark Donlon and Liam Noble. In 2010 Ben attended the Tim Richards Jazz Piano summer school in London, and studied with Nikki Yeoh and Terry Seabrook. Ben has also studied with Craig Milverton (Voted Jazz Pianist of the Year 2010 at the British Jazz Awards). Ben was awarded bursaries to attend the Jazz course with Keith Tippett at Dartington International Summer School from 2005 - 2008. Ben has been mentored since his formative years of playing Jazz by the great British Jazz composer and bandleader Mike Westbrook, who lives nearby where Ben grew up in Devon.

Ben’s Jazz trio is very busy on the corporate circuit, playing 80-100 events a year. They seek to emulate the great Jazz trios of Oscar Peterson and Phinneas Newborn Jr. and they were one of the top-booked Jazz acts of 2019/20 on Encore music agency.
Highlights have included playing at the The Open Championship - Royal Portrush N.I. 2019 (Rolex Private Dining), and previous clients have included Deutche Bank, Tata Steel, Berkeley Homes, Natwest, Breguet, Dartmouth House Mayfair, Langan’s Brasserie Mayfair, 34 Mayfair, Schott’s Mayfair and Soho House.

Tutoring Experience:

I am currently the Jazz piano teacher for Music In Offices Ltd, with students ranging from beginner to diploma level at big city law firms including Norton Rose Fulbright, Linklaters, Herbert Smith Freehills and Travers Smith. As well as this, I also have my own private students.

I trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and I have been teaching for the last five years.

I also run my own jazz trio which plays 80–100 events a year.

Tutoring Approach:

I teach Jazz Piano lessons to all ages.

Jazz Theory, Rhythm/Time, Harmony and Improvisation are all covered in depth with detailed and effective exercises for measurable progress, using deliberate practice techniques.