Ben McCartney wears the many hats of a full time musician.  Ben has taught guitar at  three major Universities including SUNY Fredonia, the University of Akron, and the University of Arizona.  Currently, as Director of Guitar Studies at Pima Community College’s West Campus, Ben serves as the sole instructor for the college’s music majors in guitar performance.  Outside of Pima College, he boasts a thriving and energized private studio at Southwest Guitar Studio, where he coaches students of all ages in various styles of guitar.  In addition to his busy teaching schedule, Ben performs regularly throughout the Tucson metro area in various ensembles, including the Desert Guitar Duo, and as a soloist.  As a recitalist, Ben has performed throughout the western hemisphere, covering the Continental US, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, and Central Europe.

Ben’s academic accreditation includes a B.M. from SUNY Fredonia, and M.M. from The University of Akron.  In 1995, Ben traveled to Caracas to study with one of Venezuela’s national treasures, Luis Zea, through a study abroad hosted by SUNY Fredonia.  He has also studied in dozens of master classes with many of the top names in the business, including Christopher Parkening, David Russell, John Williams, Elliot Fisk, Sergio Assad, and David Tanenbaum.  Ben has also won prizes in several international solo guitar competitions, including the Ralph Stevens Solo Guitar Competition, the Norman Sholin Solo Guitar Competition, and the Walnut Valley Solo Fingerstyle Competition (finalist).

As a teacher, Ben is proud of his students.  They are consistently receiving acclaim for their endeavors, and some have gone on to win national competitions.  In 2008, three of his students participated as finalists in the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus song writing competition, and two of them, known as Mirror Image, took first prize.  In 2009 the third student returned to the stage as the front man/lead guitarist of Monterey and led the band to victory in the same internationally recognized competition.  Ben’s students continue to be featured artists in major festivals and performance series, are winning battle of the bands, and are recording in major studios across the nation.