Ben Proctor is a musical pilgrim living in Rochester, NY. He works as a performer, classroom music teacher at Fairport Central School District, and lesson instructor at the Kanack School of Music. His current projects include acclaimed bluegrass/Americana band The Crooked North, The Ben Proctor Band, and The Great Untamed. He plays as many instruments as he can get his hands on, but most know him as a guitarist and banjo wizard. Ben likes to write songs and believes that teaching music is a high art.

Mr. Proctor completed music degrees at SUNY Geneseo and the Eastman School of Music. As an independent musician, Ben has performed in concert halls such as the Tribeca Performing Arts Center and Avery Fisher Hall, international bluegrass and jazz festivals, and legendary rock venues including CBGBs. As an educator, he has published teaching tools, given seminars, and been a guest teaching artist.

Ben grew up in a Connecticut swamp where he dreamt of becoming a famous jazz musician. He played with jazz, blues, gospel, rock, and klezmer groups for a few years in Connecticut (including the Afro-Semitic Experience) before moving to New York City, where he built websites, acted in off-Broadway theater, and performed with country, blues, and rock and roll bands. After years of musical soul-searching, he found his passion singing and playing American traditional music. He brought this passion to Western New York to finish college and begin his career as a musician, music teacher, and advocate for participation in social music traditions. His long-term goal is to inspire everyone to learn a musical instrument that they can play in kitchens and on porches with their friends and families.