Mr. Ben has been working with children for over 25 years, and since 2011 has been sharing music and songs with little ones of preschool age as both an early childhood music educator and an engaging children's entertainer. He owns and operates the popular Mr. Ben's (Open Door) Music in Hamilton, which was run by Martha Krueger from 2000 until she retired in 2015. A tireless composer, he was the Director of Theatre Ancaster's highly-esteemed Jitterbugs musical theatre program from 2012 until 2016, during which time he wrote a great deal of original music for small children to sing onstage, including musical versions of The Selfish Giant, Where the Wild Things Are (unauthorized), Dr Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and Leo Lionni's Frederick.
Ben studied jazz trumpet at Humber College, holds an Hons BFA in Music, and pursued graduate studies in Musicology at York University. He is featured as a guest musician on more than 30 studio albums by artists such as Danny Medakovic, Dave Pomfret, Lily Frost, Great Aunt Ida, A Northern Chorus, and Mary Simon, (full list here: benbowen.ca/discography), and after releasing his first EP of kids' folk music (The Bumblebee EP on iTunes), opened for the legendary Fred Penner in St. Catharines in 2011. When he is not busy making music with the young'uns, he continues to play trumpet as a sideman and leader in the GTA, notably as a member of both the Geoff Hudson Band, and the Nosey Neighbour jazz quartet. He is also the proud father of a 9 year-old and a 14 year-old.
In 2019, Mr. Ben finished recording his fifth CD of original and traditional children's folk songs, all of which are available for purchase here on Bandcamp, and in 2020 he produced a Songbook of over 35 original and folk songs complete with lyrics, chords, and musical notation.
credit: Stephanie Ablett
