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Meet Ben Adler, Head of Musicology

In 2021, St Andrew’s introduced a new academic learning model in which Faculty Heads are responsible for leading a team of tutors in their subject areas. In addition to overseeing the delivery of subject tutorials, academic mentoring sessions and academic skills workshops, they also contribute to the College’s innovative new courses and develop academic policy to ensure the ongoing improvement of the College’s educational offerings.

Meet Ben Adler, Head of Musicology. Ben was previously St Andrew’s Artist in Residence and has helped College to forge important relationships with the musical community of the University.

What is your official full title?

Head of Musicology and Teaching Fellow, Musicology at St Andrew’s College.

What drew you to the position and what most interests you?

Over my past five years’ association with St Andrew’s College, I have developed a passion for teaching university level music students. In my previous role as Artist in Residence, I relished the opportunity to mentor College musicians in the art of communicative performance. I also began tutoring several College music students in their Conservatorium subjects. The position of Head of Musicology constitutes a continuation of both of those activities, so it was a natural fit.

What are you hoping to achieve overall as Head of Faculty?

I hope College music students find in my and my colleagues’ tuition a helpful, enjoyable and engaging supplement to their university studies. I hope they come to regard the tutorials we run as spaces in which they can ask questions and experiment with ideas and learning methods in a way that is not possible in university.

What has been a highlight so far in this role?

It has been very satisfying to connect students with top level tutors who are experts in their fields, and to hear how much those students have learned and developed from their tuition. Personally, it has been equally satisfying to observe that development in the tutorials that I run.

What are your outside-of-Andrew’s recent career achievements/goals?

I recently began lecturing in music performance at UNSW, and have been delighted by the privilege of crafting and teaching my own syllabus. My band CHUTNEY continues to perform to sell-out crowds in Sydney and will be touring with a multi-platinum selling artist in September. I also started a string quartet this year, and have been overwhelmed by the response we have received from over 25,000 audience members so far.