Benjamin Helton, assistant professor and director of the Spartan Marching Band, studies how cultural background influences the ways people teach and learn music.
Through the lens of enculturated pedagogy, his research explores how individuals—from cultural insiders passing down traditions to outsiders learning and sharing new ones—navigate the cognitive and social dimensions of music education. His goal is to help teachers adapt their methods to better support students whose musical experiences fall outside the Western classical norm.
A passionate performer himself, Helton believes that maintaining his musicianship strengthens both his research and his teaching.