About Ben

This is great because, right now, I'm being paid to write this blog. Here I sit at my boring part-time job at Guitar Center, making sure nobody steals anything. It doesn't pay well, but fits in great with my schedule. I work with a lot of cool people, and as a musician, enjoy being around other musicians. Anyway, I'm Ben Barbato a super-senior Music Education major. For those of you who are unaware, Music Ed. at Montclair is a 5 year program. I'm in year 6. Yeah, it's been a rough road, but I've practically got one foot out the door, so it's ok. My primary instrument is saxophone. I've played saxophone since the fourth grade. I've kept with it all these years because it's pretty much one of the few things I've always been good at. Which is consequently why I chose music education to begin with. I had a teacher once who helped guide me in the right direction by saying "Go with what you're best at." Aside from my main study of saxophone, I also rock out Geddy Lee style on electric bass. My friend Todd and I play in a band at St. Mary's church in Pompton Lakes, where we provide music for the children's mass. It's an extremely fun and rewarding experience. The kids really love us and what we do. It's like being famous. I've even had people come to my store and recognize me as "the bass player from church." We also do two performances each year for the Special Needs ministry. That has been one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences of my life.
So that's my profession. But what do I do for fun? Everyone needs to have a way to escape the daily grind in life. I have a few. For one, I love video games. I've been playing them ever since I got my first Nintendo nearly 20 years ago. Some people call it childish. I disagree. If people weren't serious about video games, there would be none. I'd tell you my favorites, but there's just too many to list. I also love baseball. My team? The New York Mets. I love the game, and now looking back, wish I had practiced harder.
Anyway, that's pretty much all you need to know about me. See you all tomorrow. Peace.