Jeff Benson, Conductor
A 2006 graduate of Stoughton High School, Mr. Benson earned his Bachelor’s of Music from Berklee College of Music, and his Master’s of Music from Boston University. Mr. Benson, or Mr. B, as his students call him, is the Band Director at Wayland Middle School in Wayland, MA where he teaches 6-8 concert band as well as 2 jazz ensembles. He was formerly the Director of Music K-12 for the Easton Public Schools, where his experience included concert band grades 4-12, marching band, jazz ensemble, string orchestra, and music theory. He has 16 years of teaching experience at all levels. His Bands have consistently been awarded top honors from the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE), The New England Scholastic Bands Association (NESBA) and the Massachusetts Association for Instrumental and Choral Conducting (MICCA). The Oliver Ames Tiger Marching Band, with its long history of excellence won 3 NESBA Championships in it’s 4 years under Mr. Benson’s Direction. His jazz band students at EMS and OAHS earned over 25 Gold Medals, including 4 straight Gold Medals at MAJE State Finals, and an Outstanding Ensemble win at the Clark Terry Jazz Festival at UNH in 2023. Mr. B’s favorite part of teaching ensemble music is pursuing excellence in the company of people working towards a common goal. The one thing Mr. B wants all of his students to take away from the ensembles he teaches is the motto we try to live by in all of our rehearsals, “Better Every Time”, which applies to everything they want to pursue in life. Whether it is a music related endeavor or not, the arts teach us that we should strive to improve every single time we pick up our instrument, sing, write, or pick up a brush! Most importantly, Mr. B lives in Mansfield, MA with his amazing wife Christine, daughter and son Alexis and Anthony, and Morkies Carson and Bates!
