Dulcimer U Instructors
Summer 2026 Dulcimer U Instructors
Larry Conger - Gatlinburg, Tennessee 鈥� Dulcimer U Artistic Director
A graduate of The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Larry has been involved with
music as a vocation for over 40 years. Besides being a popular performer and instructor
at various dulcimer festivals around the country, Larry is involved with distance
learning via online lessons.
Larry has served as a Church Music Director for several churches. He has been involved
with the Tennessee Arts Commission's Arts in Education program and the Kentucky Arts
Council's Teacher Incentive Program, presenting dulcimer programs in the public schools.
In 1995, Larry won the Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Championship at the Ozark
Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. In 1996, he teamed with Jim Curley of Kansas
City to win the Southern Regional Dulcimer Ensemble Championship at the Folk Center.
In 1998, Larry won the prestigious National Mountain Dulcimer Championship at the
Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas.
Larry has several dulcimer books and recordings to his credit, including contributions
to Great Players of the Mountain Dulcimer, National Champions, and Masters of the
Mountain Dulcimer II, compilation CDs featuring many of today's top dulcimer artists.
He has also been featured on three Japanese compilation CDs of international acoustic
music. The Acoustic Breath CD series has enjoyed widespread acclaim in Japan.
Larry and his wife Elaine are directors of Dulcimer U at 蘑菇短视频,
hosting numerous dulcimer related workshops throughout the year. They are also directors
of their own Duet Dulcimer Retreat, Dulcimer Symposium, and September on The Mississippi
Dulcimer Retreat.
Elaine Conger - Gatlinburg, Tennessee 鈥� Dulcimer U Artistic Director
Elaine is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. She is a lifelong musician and music
educator. After years of teaching and touring, she鈥檚 finally settled down in the mountains
of East Tennessee for another chapter in her musical journey. Her current passion
is writing and performing worshipful songs that stir the soul and encourage spiritual
reflection.
Music has been her foundation from the beginning. She began piano lessons at the
age of 4陆 and started playing in church at age 12. Singing and playing guitar for
church youth groups led to her being involved in almost every musical offering throughout
her school career. She received a music education degree from Tennessee Tech, majoring
in piano and minoring in voice and organ. She earned further music education certification
in Orff-Schulwerk from the University of Memphis and a Master鈥檚 in Elementary Education
from Tennessee State University.
After teaching in Nashville for a few years, she decided to join a band and go out on the road. Her years as a professional musician include playing keyboards and singing back-up vocals for country artist Faith Hill and performing on the General Jackson Showboat. Once the biological clock started ticking, she went back to teaching and had her daughter, Kristen Sherrill, now a 24-year-old actress living in New York. Elaine鈥檚 tenure as the Senior Director of Music at The Renaissance Center had her playing and musically directing numerous music theater productions, including appearing in a few herself. Her favorite role to date is as Patsy in Always, Patsy Cline.
That experience at a fine arts and technological center led her to meet and marry Larry Conger, a former National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She now adds bass dulcimer to the mix, and they鈥檙e found quite often out on the road teaching and performing on the dulcimer when they鈥檙e not performing around their hometown of Gatlinburg, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Jeff Furman - Chapel Hill, North Carolina 鈥� Morning Skills, Afternoon Electives & Evening Concerts
Jeff is an award-winning mountain dulcimer player who is known for his smooth and
expressive style. His gentle, humorous, and effective teaching style has made him
a very popular instructor at numerous mountain dulcimer workshops across the country.
Jeff is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing old-time music since 1980. Primarily as a clawhammer banjo player for many years, he developed a rhythmic and melodic style which has heavily influenced his dulcimer playing. He has an extensive repertoire of old-time fiddle music which crosses over to a strong interest in Celtic music. He has a particular fondness for waltzes and Celtic airs on the dulcimer.
He has been performing for more than 35 years, and his technical abilities, quick ear, musical sensitivity, and expression have made Jeff a popular choice for playing on multiple recordings, including music from Ireland, Scotland, the Appalachian Mountains, and American folk tunes. Touching someone鈥檚 heart with his music is Jeff鈥檚 most rewarding goal.
Laurie Alsobrook 鈥� Melrose, Florida 鈥� Morning Skills, Afternoon Electives & Evening Concerts
After a full career in elementary education, Laurie Alsobrook has found a perfect
blending of her two passions - teaching learners and playing the dulcimer. Laurie
has participated in a variety of festivals, online and in-person. Festival credits
include QDF, Black Mountain, Nonsuch, Dulcimer U, NGFDA, Deutschland, Dulcimer Daze,
CFDF, and DulciMoon. She also served as co-host/organizer and instructor at Stephen
Foster Dulcimer Retreats, both digital and in-person events.
Laurie is a regular contributor to the 鈥淪end in the Music Virtual Jam,鈥� offering free tab to the participants and serving as a song leader. Her weekly 鈥淣o Frills鈥� segment on 鈥淪end in the Music鈥� offers fun tips to add to the jam experience and is now a YouTube channel.
Jim Miller 鈥� Hampton, Tennessee 鈥� Morning Skills Afternoon Electives & Jam Meister
Jim has been playing and performing traditional music for the past 46 years. An accomplished
instrument builder and teacher, he has taught workshops at numerous festivals as well
as won many awards for his musicianship, including first place dulcimer at both Galax,
VA and Fiddler's Grove, NC. He has played with Celtic, Bluegrass, Swing, Blues and
Old-Time bands, and has done session work on many recordings. He plays guitar, mandolin,
banjo, mandocello, bass, steel drum, percussion, hammered and mountain dulcimers as
well as his own off-the-wall musical inventions, which are always entertaining. Jim
holds a master鈥檚 degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in instrumental
music. He is a retired adjunct professor teaching mandolin, ukulele, dulcimer and
autoharp in the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music program at East Tennessee State
University and played mandocello in the ETSU Mandolin Orchestra.
Carol Crocker 鈥� Winston Salem, North Carolina 鈥� Morning Skills, Afternoon Electives & Evening Concerts
Carol鈥檚 first introduction to mountain dulcimer was at a school Heritage Day program.
For over 20 years Carol has enjoyed sharing her love of the dulcimer with children,
adults, schools, churches and senior homes as an instructor and performer.
She has been an instructor at various dulcimer festivals and events including Dulcimer U, Winston-Salem Dulcimer festival, the Stephen Foster Dulcimer Retreat, North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Festival, QuaranTUNE, Mt. Dora, New Mexico, and various other events. She is also a regular song leader on the Saturday Send in the Music Virtual Jam, and has a Send In the Music songbook 鈥淭unes From Zoom鈥�. Other books include 鈥淪ongs of the Spirit鈥�, African American spirituals arranged for the mountain dulcimer with a CD and digital download of 鈥淪ongs of the Spirit鈥�; 鈥淏eginner鈥檚 Guide to Mountain Dulcimer鈥�, and 鈥淒ulcimer in The Schools鈥�. Her website is www.Carolcrockermusic.com
Carol holds a BS degree in Music Education from 蘑菇短视频, a MM degree in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro, and Level III certification in Orff-Schulwerk. She is a retired music teacher from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband Joe.
Deby Libby 鈥� Seymour, TN 鈥� Morning & Afternoon Electives
Deby purchased her first dulcimer in 2002 and after learning 3 chords, was playing in church. It wasn鈥檛 long before she was playing at local festivals and arranging music. Through the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club (KADC), Deby met Linda Smith and Ginny Cliett and together, they formed the mountain dulcimer trio, TNT, in 2006. TNT has been together for 20 years, teaching, performing, and producing original music, arrangements, and recordings.
Deby has led classes for all levels at KADC and other events and festivals since 2006. She was also the organizer of the Smoky Mountain Dulcimer Retreat (KADC) for several years and formed and led KADC鈥檚 first ensembles group. Deby enjoys composing and arranging music for the mountain dulcimer and is passionate about lifelong learning.
Mike Clemmer - Townsend, Tennessee - Dulcimer Doctor & Afternoon Electives
鈥淚f you had a blank check, what would you want to do?鈥� Connie Clemmer asked her husband,
Mike. After talking and praying about it, Mike realized what he wanted 鈥� his own shop
for building and selling his handcrafted mountain dulcimers.
Mike鈥檚 long-sought dream-come-true has evolved from his life-long love of many types of music, playing, singing and his reputation for repairing, trading and buying instruments. Over thirty years ago, an acquaintance asked Mike to help him catch up on his dulcimer orders in Townsend. Armed with years of experience repairing guitars and basses, Mike accepted the challenge and learned the art of dulcimer building. It has been a labor of love ever since.
Mike will be available throughout the week to make repairs, add frets, strap buttons, etc., to your dulcimer. Be sure to check him out at his vendor booth.
Steve Eulberg 鈥� Colorado 鈥� Morning Skills & Afternoon Electives
Celebrating 46 Dulcimer-Filled Years, Steve Eulberg continues to produce the "smile-inducing, toe tapping, thought-provoking folkgrass" which is how reviewers describe this award-winning instrumentalist and songwriter's music. He weaves together age-old songs and tunes with new melodies and contemporary lyrics accompanied by dulcimers and more. Students respond enthusiastically to his engaging style and warm sense of humor, making him in demand at festivals across the USA. 5-time award-winner in the national mountain dulcimer contest at Winfield, he is also a multiple finalist in the national hammered dulcimer contest.
His music has been included in the Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer Compilations, Great Players of the Mountain Dulcimer, and has been featured on PBS' RoadTrip Nation, United Airlines Inflight Audio and NPR. He tours as a solo performer, and with the duos Fiddle Whamdiddle (with Vi Wickam) and Steve & Erin Mae (with Erin Mae Lewis).
Steve earned a Master of Music Education degree from Boston University in 2007 with a focus on teaching people to play folk music on folk instruments. He has published several books to equip and nurture dulcimer and guitar players. Active in the PNW Chapter of NARAS (Grammys), Locals 423 & 1000 AFM (Traveling Musicians), Eulberg owns Owl Mountain Music, Inc., was the first guitar instructor on JamPlay.com and is co-founder and teacher at dulcimercrossing.com.
Joe Collins 鈥� Shelby, North Carolina 鈥� Morning Skills & Afternoon Electives
Joe Collins has been playing the dulcimer since 1978. Unaware of the instrument until he was a senior in college, he fell in love with it on the first strum. Since then, he has been an ambassador for the instrument, taking it into places it had never been before. Likewise, the instrument took him to places he had never been.
He began competing to improve his playing in 1998 and focused on technique as he developed his unique chord-melody playing style. In five trips to Winfield to compete in the National Championships, he placed third three times and first in 2007.
His contributions to the dulcimer world include monthly free tabs available on his website for twenty-five years, sixteen books of tablature, six CDs, over a thousand workshops, and a program for training dulcimer teachers. He has taught and performed in festivals across the United States and composed a good deal of original music for the dulcimer.
In the past several years, he has been writing and arranging multi-part pieces and conducting ensemble workshops with those pieces. His love for the instrument has not diminished since he started forty-eight years ago.
Susan Trump - Schenectady, New York 鈥� Morning Skills & Afternoon Electives
Susan has been a favorite instructor and performer on the dulcimer scene for the past
forty years. She is known for her clear teaching style and interesting, playable arrangements.
She has won awards in both banjo and mountain dulcimer competitions. She has written
six books for the mountain dulcimer. Her latest books include 鈥淗ornpipes, Not Just
a Dance for Sailors,鈥� and 鈥淏luegrass Fingerpicking for Mountain Dulcimer and Banjammer.鈥�
She has also written 鈥淢usic from the Muse,鈥� (twenty-one original pieces,) 鈥淥鈥機arolan,
for Mountain Dulcimer, 鈥淎 Classical Collection,鈥� and 鈥淣ovice Level Chords and Fingering.鈥�
Susan is the producer of the classic CD series, 鈥淢asters of the Mountain Dulcimer,鈥� featuring instrumental selections from many of the finest players in the country. She has four solo CDs to her credit. Her CD, 鈥淪ongs of Faith and Hope,鈥� a collection of inspirational, uplifting songs for everyone is being touted as her best ever!
Susan is completely enjoying teaching in-person at festivals, private and class lessons on Zoom. Her 鈥淪aturdays with Susan鈥� six-week sessions have allowed students nationwide to bond and continue their dulcimer journey together. After six years they are still going strong!For more information, visit Susan at .
Cheri Miller 鈥� Hampton, Tennessee 鈥� Dulcimer Emporium Director
Cheri has been playing and performing traditional music as a backup guitar player
for many years. She has performed in swing bands, old time bands, and dance bands.
Cheri enjoys jamming, gardening, traveling, reading, and puttering.
Cheri spent 30 plus years in the educational field teaching elementary students, English to both high school and university students, as a Library Media Specialist, as well as directing and producing musical productions, and teaching guitar to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders in an after-school string band program.
Cheri holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a master鈥檚 degree in media services, and an Educational Specialist degree in School Administration. Cheri is currently retired and enjoys life traveling and playing music. She currently plays guitar in a duo with husband, Jim Miller.