Hailing from Canada, Ben Makarchuk came to ETMLA after completing his M.M. at the University of Southern California in Community Music. At USC, his research focused primarily on hip-hop based music education and community engagement strategies. Makarchuk’s expertise lies in community-based music education and he has been working in community centers – primarily in South Central Los Angeles – since 2019.
A French horn instrumentalist, Makarchuk initially trained in classical music but eventually shifted gears to focus almost exclusively on jazz, hip-hop and other forms of popular music. He enjoys building music from scratch and collaborating with other artists whenever his teaching schedule allows!
Outside of music teaching, Makarchuk spends time reading, digging through record stores and exploring graphic design. He is constantly searching for new ways to expand his thinking and improve the quality of his teaching.
Makarchuk’s teaching philosophy centers on integrating community into music education. This includes integrating genres of music, linguistic patterns and ways of learning that may be popular in the community into the music classroom. He believes that it is always more useful to meet students where they are at instead of consistently asking them to adhere to a standard.