Ben Konen (LU)

After successfully completing his bachelor's degree in professional music at Berklee College of Music and his Master's degree in Jazz Composition at Queens College in New York, Ben is currently enrolled as a PhD candidate at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in the field of music education. For the past 8 years, Ben has been utilizing his interest in performance, education, and technology to improve the formal and informal educational offer in Luxembourg and abroad. Ben has a full-time teaching position at International School Michel Lucius, where he is currently developing a new curriculum for a new section in High School (4ème – 1ère) specializing in music production. During his current lessons at Michel Lucius, Ben uses a wide range of tools, such as instruments (keyboards and ukuleles), body percussion, singing, and technology (GarageBand, Ableton, Step-Sequencers) to engage students and spark their musical interest.

For the past 4 years, Ben has been working for SCRIPT (Service de Coordination de la Recherche et de l’Innovation pédagogiques et technologiques) where he utilizes innovative pedagogical approaches to develop interactive and effective learning resources within the field of Music Tech Ed for teachers and organizes music workshops for classes.

Ben also works as a freelancer where he creates on-demand workshops in the field of Music Tech Ed, Composition, and Body Percussion for cultural Centers such as Rocklab, Philharmonie, and Sonotron. Currently, Ben is training his skills within Max MSP to offer a new variety of workshops merging sound, instruments, movement, and visuals.

Ben Konen is a key figure in the Luxembourgish “formation continue” and educational development, being affiliated to Script and providing workshops for IFEN, Rocklab. Moreover, he is regularly invited at the international scene to provide workshops on music technology.
As a PhD student (grant recipient from FNR), Ben knows scientific practice and the relevant literature, to frame his hands-on session within scientific research.