Benjamin Bullock
Trombone
Where did you receive your education? B.M. in Music Business from Millikin University
What is your hometown? Decatur, IL
What is your preferred age to teach? Age 8 and up
What is your preferred student level to teach? Beginner to Intermediate
How long have you been at Sherwood? Since 2010
What do you want to impart to your students through your teaching? Plato wrote: “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good and just and beautiful.” If I can pass on even a fraction of this consciousness of music to my students, I can wear a smile.
What do you most enjoy about teaching? Instilling musical concepts into a young mind can dramatically enhance a child’s mental development. I – as a teacher – value this opportunity to provide guidance, in musical terms, knowing that I am mentoring the next generation of musicians and giving a child valuable substance that can be applied to other areas of life.
Describe your musical pursuits outside of Sherwood. Since arriving in Chicago, the summer of 2009, I began work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a fundraiser – helping to support the organization from the musicians to its educational outreach through the Institute. It wasn’t until late 2010 when I began to develop my career as a musician in this city. Since, I have performed with Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra at The Green Mill and Big Band Boom! at Gallery Cabaret. I have worked studio sessions for Profiles Theatre productions and have been featured as a soloist for Chicago Poetry Brothel.
What is your earliest musical experience or best musical memory? As a musician, one accumulates wonderful and inspiring memories from different performances. The opportunities I have appreciated the greatest have been as a traveling musician. Through touring Europe with my high school jazz band, to collaborating with grade schools in Dominican Republic with my university wind ensemble, and visiting over 30 different countries as a cruise ship musician, music has literally opened the door of the world for me.
Please describe one of your favorite teachers or mentors. The mentor that comes to mind is not a trombonist, but a guitarist. Nothing against my trombone professors, I promise, but this man opened my eyes and ears to other music outside of my jazz language. Starting with The Doors, I took wild tangents to new and exciting venues. Without this mentor, I am certain I would not be as open to new genres of music as I am today.
Who is your favorite composer or what is your favorite musical period? My favorite composer is the man that paved the way to Modernism. By many claims, he dragged classical music into the 20th Century. His reputation was that of a musical revolutionary as his compositions broke all the classical rules and left the Romantics in the dust. He is one of the Russian Greats and in my opinion, the greatest composer of the 20th century. He is Igor Stravinsky.
About you: My wife jokes that if it wasn’t possible to be a musician or educator, I would be a great comedian. She of course explains it in slightly different terms: He would excel as a performer in the circus. Specifically, a clown.
