Teacher Profile: Ben Davidson
About Ben Davidson
Ben Davidson is a Pianist and Bassist from Toccoa, Ga. He began learning the bass guitar in 1989, taking harmony lessons with virtuoso guitarist Kevin Wilson, and spent his early years singing and playing in diverse ensembles and solo settings, some of which include the Stephens County High School Jazz Band, local indie & Top40 groups, Frank Zappa and Emerson, Lake & Palmer tributes. After moving to Athens, Ga. in the 1993 and attending the University of Georgia, his attention switched to the piano and Classical music as well as Jazz and historical Popular idioms. He studied piano privately with Dr. Geoffrey Bayes, picked up a degree in Electronics Technology from North Georgia Technical College, and played hundreds of club dates, weddings & charity events. He has performed for Georgia Governors, on boats, once even playing in front of the Lion’s sanctuary at Zoo Atlanta!
In 1998, Ben received a full scholarship to Gainesville State College and was awarded honors as outstanding musician, including the Gina Davis Award. Under the tutelage of Dr. Andrew Santander, he studied bass and piano, accompanying the Big Band, Jazz Combo, and Chorus, and started teaching piano to local students through the school’s community outreach program. He has played bass for music theatre productions at Lakeview Academy, Brenau, and Ed Cabell Theatre in Gainesville, Ga., and was a regular performer for years at the town’s Train Depot Summer Jazz Concerts.
Recent and ongoing musical projects Ben is involved with include, Bassist with Band of Gold (Georgia’s premiere wedding band); Bassist for “The Music of Genesis, The Spotty Lads”; Bassist for Atlanta-based jazz/modern classical ensemble, Shark Week II. Keyboardist for George Harrison Birthday Charity concerts, The Beach Boys and The Beatles tributes. Ben has also served as Church Pianist and Musician at Sacred Tapestry, United Methodist Church in Marietta, Ga. Since 2011.
In 2004, Ben began studying Dorothy Taubman’s Piano Technique with Sarah Steinhardt. He continues to implement her principles of coordinate motion into his own teaching style, which includes elements of improvisation, electronic music, and popular influences. Ben is a believer in getting his students excited about the music they are learning. An avid cartoonist, Ben routinely supplements his teaching with drawings created to reinforce musical concepts, often using the student’s observations to inspire the images & designs! His art provides a unique and entertaining way of strengthening the connection with his students. Ben and his wife, Buffie, live with their cats in Decatur, Ga.