Lectures

New Lecture!

Service and Storytelling

An expansion on my Gatekeeping lecture filled with lessons from 15 years of experience. This lecture teaches attendees how to put their clients at the center of what they do in order to have more success while also using strategies from psychology, behavioral economics, and marketing to effectively tell their story.

Getting Around The Gatekeepers (given at GFA 2021)

This lecture gives an overview of how guitarists can build meaningful, sustainable careers without the backing of a traditional gatekeeper within the industry. The main objectives are to get attendees thinking about themselves as entrepreneurs as well as musicians and to come up with actionable steps for them to advance their careers. It will also explore how technology and social media have changed what is possible for an individual to do on their own; the rise of portfolio careers; the importance of self-awareness and empathy; and using long and short-term goal setting to achieve success.

Ben giving a lecture at Florida State University

Ben giving a lecture at Florida State University

A Performance Guide to Selected Jazz Arrangements of Roland Dyens (given at GFA 2019)

This lecture explores several of Roland Dyens’ arrangements of popular jazz pieces from his collections Mes Arrangements a l'Amiable and Night and Day. This examination includes information on the harmonic and structural aspects of the pieces; historical and biographical details about relevant styles and artists, as well as Dyens’ allusions to them in his arrangements; and discussion of solutions to difficult passages and extended techniques within the arrangements, all with an eye towards producing more accurate interpretations of the pieces.

Ben after giving a lecture at the Guitar Foundation of America Convention in Miami, FL.

Ben after giving a lecture at the Guitar Foundation of America Convention in Miami, FL.