Our Instructors
Trevor Holder
Trevor Holder, of Ringgold, Georgia, picked up the banjo for the first time at age 12. His interest grew and he began taking lessons with world renowned instructor, Jim Pankey, at Lone Mountain Music. He quickly fell in love with the instrument, learning as much as he could as fast as he could. He quickly took the bluegrass world by storm, winning many banjo contests at regional fiddler’s conventions and festivals, including the prestigious Galax Old Time Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia, one of the most coveted competitions in the music world. Trevor has gone on to play professionally all over the world with some amazing up and coming bands such as Five Mile Mountain Road, The Price Sisters, and Alum Ridge Boys&Ashlee, forgoing his electrical engineering career to live his passion. Trevor is now bringing his passion back to Ringgold where it all began, to share with the community!
Conner Vlietstra
Conner Vlietstra is a professional touring bluegrass and old time musician from Chattanooga, TN. It has been 12 years since he was handed down his papaw’s banjo. As a result, music has become the paramount object of his affection. Nowadays, the fiddle and the guitar are his foremost happy companions, content with Old-School Bluegrass flatpicking methodology and North Georgia hoedown fiddling.
Reed Stutz
Reed Stutz is a multi-instrumentalist and singer who makes his home in Ringgold, Georgia. He draws heavily on traditional bluegrass from the 1940s and 50s, as well as old time fiddle music, with a particular knack for the mandolin style of Bill Monroe and those who followed in his footsteps. He plays mandolin, guitar, banjo, and fiddle and performs with numerous groups across the genres, blending a traditional approach with his personal style.
He is often found performing or teaching at festivals, camps, and fiddler’s conventions around the country, and regularly teaches private lessons. Some of the musicians he has worked with in recent years include Alice Gerrard, Tatiana Hargreaves, the Nokosee Fields Trio, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters (Bruce Molsky, Allison de Groot), Jason Carter, Joseph Decosimo, and David Peterson & 1946. Look out for an album of old time country duets with collaborator Conner Vlietstra hopefully coming in 2026.
Garrett Holder
A lifelong Ringgold resident, Garrett Holder has been playing guitar for over 15 years. His style, shaped through countless late-night jam sessions and hours spent listening to old recordings, began with lessons taken as a youth in the very same building where he now teaches. Garrett’s biggest guitar inspirations include Don Reno, Norman Blake, Rieley Puckett and Doc Watson. Each year, Garrett travels to his favorite bluegrass festivals to reconnect with friends, meet new ones, and play music with as many people as possible. An avid participant in several local jams, including the long-running Wednesday night jam, he is passionate about building an inclusive musical community and is excited to pass on what he knows to the next generation of Ringgold musicians. Garrett plays guitar and mandolin with local groups and occasionally performs around town with his brother, Trevor. With years of experience as a math and science tutor, he brings a patient, structured approach to teaching music, breaking down complex ideas into manageable pieces and helping students of all ages grow at a comfortable pace. Garrett is proud to have received the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship from the Share America Foundation in recognition of his dedication to the traditional musical arts of Appalachia.
Maggie Holder
Maggie is from the culturally rich area of Franklin County, Virginia where music and dance were part of every family gathering, celebration, and holiday. As a teenager, weekends were full of dancing with people of all ages and backgrounds and abilities. Maggie attended Ferrum college, a small liberal arts school in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, home of the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, which is a festival honoring the rich heritage music, crafts and arts of the region. After graduating and working as a park ranger in the Virginia Highlands, she taught Appalachian flatfooting as an assistant dance teacher at Alleghany JAM, a non-profit traditional music program, where she would later become the Executive Director. Since then, Maggie has taught dance workshops, won various dance competitions and is now ready to share her love of dancing with you.