Ben Hans is a percussionist, author, clinician, and music instructor based in Nashville, Tennessee. As an educator, Ben has taught private music lessons to students of all ages and skill levels for over three decades. Ben cut his teeth performing under the tutelage of jazz guitarist Jack Grassel and the late swing clarinetist Chuck Hedges. Ben actively performs live in multiple music genres as a freelance artist. In addition to leading his own jazz trio, Ben has shared the stage with a diverse list of artists, including Kip Winger (acoustic); Eric Martin’s BIG Acoustic; Trixter Acoustic (with Steve Brown and PJ Farley); Anthony Corder, the voice of Tora Tora; Ted Poley, the voice of Danger Danger; Tony Harnell, the voice of TNT; Danny Vaughn, the voice of Tyketto; Todd Kerns; vocalist Fiona Flanagan; Walter Egan; rock guitarists Reb Beach, John Roth, Donnie Wayne Smith, and Jorge Salán; Paul Taylor; Nashville singer-songwriters Doug Allen and Beth Sass; jazz pianists Barry Harris, Kevin Kostick, Dean Lea, and Sam Steffke; jazz saxophonists Eric Morones, Johnny Padilla, Berkeley Fudge, Warren Wiegratz, and Jesse Lee Montijo; jazz guitarists Scott DuBois, Steve Peplin, Kirk Tatnall, Jeff Schroedl, Neil Davis, Michael Arnold, Michael Standal, Roger Brotherhood, Dave Braun and Pete Billman; jazz bassists Tom McGirr, Hal Miller, John Babbitt, John Price, and Mark Solveson: jazz vocalists Jeannine Rivers and Jill Jensen; Swing Nouveau Big Band; blues artists Altered Five Blues Band, Jonny T-Bird, and the MPs, and Tallan Noble Latz; percussionists John S. Pratt, Dominick Cuccia, Mitch Markovich, Jim Sewrey, Rick Embach, and Jeff Salisbury; as well as many more artists from many genres.
Ben is also a freelance author, editor, proofreader, and session performer, with published works that include Workin' Drums: 50 Solos for Drumset, 40 Intermediate Snare Drum Solos, Rudimental Drum Solos for the Marching Snare Drummer, Modern School for Mallet-Keyboard Instruments, the Hal Leonard School for Snare Drum, First 50 Solos You Should Play on the Snare Drum, How to Play Drums in 14 Days, and Snare Drum 365. Additionally, Ben transcribed the music for Ray Luzier's Double Bass Drum Techniques and was a writer, editor, musical director, and performer on the DVD John S. Pratt: Traditional Rudimental Drumming.
Ben is a Yamaha Performing Artist who also endorses Aquarian Drumheads, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Mike Balter Mallets, Impression Cymbals, and Tycoon Percussion. Ben is a member of ASCAP and John S. Pratt's International Association of Traditional Drummers. He holds an Associate of Music from the Milwaukee Area Technical College and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Currently he teaches entertainment business courses at SAE Institute - Nashville. His past positions include Music Instructor at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (1999-2017) and Adjunct Faculty at the Wisconsin Lutheran College (2014-2017).
