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About Ben
Ben is an experienced teacher offering lessons in bassoon, classical guitar, composition, electric guitar, guitar, piano, and singer-songwriter techniques. He teaches students of all ages, from 6 years old to adults, and is available for lessons online, in his Ottawa studio, or in your home. With a Master's degree in music performance from McGill University and a rich background in various instruments and musical styles, Ben provides a comprehensive and engaging learning experience. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced student, Ben's lessons are tailored to help you achieve your musical goals.
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I perform about 30 concerts a year, but feel strongly that music making is about the journey. Before every show I tell my colleagues to "have fun" because I feel that joyful enthusiasm is key to having the focus necessary for staying in the moment and having a great performance. Since we perform what we practice, working to have fun while practicing is also key to great and fulfilling music making. Practicing is about working things out which can seem daunting and sometimes frustrating, but if one fosters a spirit of curiosity and wonder each step of the learning process can seem magical and rewarding. Learning music is a joyous journey for people of all levels that never stops, thankfully.
Name: Ben (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 50's
Gender: male
I have a Masters Degree in music performance on Bassoon with a focus on Chamber Music from McGill University where I also received my Bachelors Degree in Bassoon performance. There I studied with the present principal bassoonists of the LA Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra. I also studied Guitar and Piano in high school having attained about a RCM grade 8 level on both instruments. While in high school I played in a number of folk, and jazz bands and studied voice with Micah Barnes and did a lot of musical theatre.
English
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Lessons in your home
Ben is available to teach in your home if you are located in the following areas
Online lessons
Ben can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.
Ben's Studio Location
Ben offers lessons from his studio. Please note that map locations are based on the postal code of the teachers studio. address will be released to you if needed.