ABOVE: Dulcimer class at Appalachian Heritage Day Camp, Wise County, VA, 2025. Photo by Tyler Hughes.

TEACHING BIO

Sam specializes in teaching old-time singing and Appalachian stringband music with a warm welcome for all musicians to join in. Community music making is the focus, including the fundamental skills and repertoire needed for jamming with other musicians. As a teacher, Sam seeks to empower musicians to develop their playing and singing while delving deep into rich musical traditions. Sam teaches using multiple modalities, striving to meet the needs and experience level of every student. 

Sam holds a bachelor's degree in Folklore from Berea College and a master's degree in Music Education from the University of Kentucky. In his current work as part of the Berea College Music faculty (2020 to present), Sam teaches applied instrumental lessons in fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar to 24 undergraduate students every semester. He also directs the Berea College Bluegrass Music Ensemble, a performance-focused stringband and vocal group. From 2018-2020, Sam served as Traditional Arts Director at Hindman Settlement School in Knott County, Kentucky where he taught traditional music and dance in local schools and coordinated the Pick & Bow after-school music program. In 2021, Sam was certified to teach the O’Connor Method Violin Books I and II. 

Many music camps and workshops have included Sam on their teaching faculty, including Augusta Heritage Center Vocal Week, Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week, Miles of Music Camp, Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, and Swannanoa Gathering Traditional Song Week. Sam has served as an artist-in-residence at public schools, colleges, and universities (see the complete list below). 


Common Ground on the Hill Tradition Week at McDaniel College. Photo by Ryan Koons.

Above: Common Ground on the Hill Tradition Week at McDaniel College. Photo by Ryan Koons. 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE 

Appalachian Heritage Day Camp, Wise County, VA (2025)

Blue Ridge Old Time Music Week, Mars Hill University, Mars Hill, NC (2025, 2022, 2021, 2019)

Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, Lexington, KY (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020) 

Swannanoa Gathering Traditional Song Week, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC (2024, 2023, 2012)

Augusta Heritage Center Vocal Week, Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West WV (2023, 2019, 2017)

Old Songs Festival, Altamont, NY (2024, 2022, 2021)

Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, Letcher County, KY (2020)

Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, Berea, KY (2019)

Stringband Summit, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN (2023) 

Mountain Music School, Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, VA (2017, 2016, 2015)

Common Ground Tradition Week, McDaniel College, Westminster, MD (2012, 2014, 2015)

Singing Bird Music School, Berea, KY (2020, 2019, 2018) 

Lexington Old Time Gathering, Lexington, KY (2020, 2019, 2018) 

Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering, Huntingdon County, PA (2019) 

Ola Belle Reed Songwriter’s Retreat, Ashe County, NC (2019, 2018) 

Michigan State University Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, East Lansing, MI (2019) 

Folk College, Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA (2018) 

Miles of Music Camp, Lake Winnipesaukee, NH (2018)


BELOW: Mountain Music School, Mountain Empire Community College, 2016. Photo by Regina Kinsler.