Helping you play the music you love on the instrument you love. https://www.dulcimercrossing.com
on-line lessons for all levels of Mountain and Hammered Dulcimer players. Taught by Steve Eulberg and Linda Ratcliff and 16 other excellent guest instructors.
04/14/2026
When Kara and Erin Mae Music and Steve Eulberg/Owl Mountain Music, Inc. get to play and teach together IN PERSON, you can bet that it is gonna be fuhn!
Can't wait for this in 2 weeks! Workshops AND a Concert!! We're gonna have a boot-kicking, hammer-n-pickin' good time! with Kara Barnard and Erin Mae Music
02/28/2026
6:45 pm Central Time. Reserve your seat and Sit-in-the-Zoom-room-Circle with us!
https://dulcimercrossing.com/cart/250989-Sit-In-The-Circle-Bluegrass-Jam-Ticket
02/23/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day : Benjamin Barker
Benjamin Barker is a National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, Harpist, and Composer based out of Greenville, SC.
Growing up at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Wilkesboro, NC, he
encountered the hammered dulcimer for the first time at age eleven in the home of a
music teacher. Benjamin states “I had never seen anything like the instrument, and it
intrigued me – I wanted to learn more”. This led him on a journey to study with multiple hammered dulcimer instructors including hammered dulcimer virtuoso Joshua Messick, and eventually winning the 2021 National Hammered Dulcimer Championship.
His music draws on a wide variety of traditions and genres ranging from Western
Classical, American Folk (with an emphasis on Bluegrass and Old-Time music), New
Age, World, Jazz, and more. He is equally comfortable playing Bach as he is performing in a Bluegrass jam or playing Blues with a Jazz trio. He has currently released two albums to date: “Nothing but the Blood: Solo Hymns for Hammered Dulcimer”, and “Bach: Complete Cello Suites Performed on Hammered Dulcimer”.
Specifically related to this workshop: he has had years of experience playing and leading Bluegrass and Old-Time jams. Learn more about Benjamin at https://benjaminbarkermusic.bandcamp.com/
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
02/20/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day : Erin Mae
Erin Mae has been playing mountain dulcimer since the age of 7. In 2004 she became the youngest national mountain dulcimer champion at the time. Trained in both classical piano and commercial music with an emphasis in bluegrass, she has an associates of applied arts in commercial music from South Plains College. Erin Mae toured full time for five years with the duo Scenic Roots, has recorded 8 full-length albums, and contributed to several other projects including a feature-length television program and a video game soundtrack. Now, she teaches mountain dulcimer lessons full-time, both online and for local school residencies. Erin Mae also serves on the board of directors for the Kansas Bluegrass Association and Great Plains Dulcimer Alliance.
Whenever there is an opportunity to jump into a bluegrass jam, Erin Mae will be there with her chromatic mountain dulcimer! She has been steeped in this music for her whole life and feels most at home with the banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, and basses.
Learn more about Erin at www.ErinMaeMusic.com
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
Erin Mae Music
02/18/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day : Rick Thum
Ranked as the most influential dulcimer player of the last decade by readers of Dulcimer Player News, Rick Thum has made his mark on every aspect of the hammered dulcimer world.
Rick is perhaps best known for his festival performances, which have regularly earned him the “most popular performer” title at the largest national dulcimer festival. He brings a combination of passion and friendly accessibility to his teaching that makes his workshops and master classes favorites at festivals across the country, and has tapped this teaching experience to produce the best-selling instructional CD series for hammered dulcimer, the “Original Song of the Month Club”.
Rick is also the designer of the highly-regarded ‘Professional’ hammered dulcimer, bearing his name. Yet for all his time in the studio, onstage, in the classroom, and in the luthier’s shop, Rick is most at home at a late-night jam session, where you might even find him playing an instrument other than the dulcimer from time to time.
Learn more about Rick at www.rthum.com
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
02/16/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day : Susan Trump
Susan Trump has been a favorite instructor and performer on the dulcimer scene for the past thirty years. She is known for her clear teaching style and interesting, playable arrangements.
She is completely enjoying teaching in-person at festivals, and private and class lessons on Zoom. Her “Saturdays with Susan” six-week sessions have allowed students nationwide to bond and continue their dulcimer journey together.
Susan has authored six books. Her latest book with audio files is “Bluegrass Fingerpicking for Mountain Dulcimer and Banjammer,- 29 Favorites for Intermediate to Advanced Players.” It is receiving rave revues from students nationwide!
Susan is the producer of the classic “Masters of the Mountain Dulcimer,” CD series, featuring instrumental selections from many of the finest players in the country. She has four solo CDs to her credit.
Learn more about Susan at www.susantrump.com
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
02/13/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day: Mark Alan Wade
Mark Alan Wade performs throughout Europe, Asia, and North America as a soloist on dulcimer and trumpet. A classical trumpeter by trade, Mark earned his master and doctorate degrees in music from The Ohio State University and has played hammered and mountain dulcimers for over 30 years.
His style uniquely marries his classical precision and technique with his wild traditional dulcimer playing. Mark’s playing brings bluegrass music to life and authenticity to familiar classical pieces. Mark has published five dulcimer books with Mel Bay, Inc., as well as 8 books on topics ranging from technique to Irish ornamentation. A National Champion himself, 6 of his students have also won the National Contest.
Learn more about Mark at www.MarkAlanWade.com
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
Mark Alan Wade, Music
02/11/2026
Meet the Faculty for Bluegrass Dulcimer Day : Elaine Conger
Elaine Conger is a life-long musician and music educator hailing from the state of Tennessee, and she’s currently the co-artistic director of The New Caledonia String Orchestra, along with her husband, Larry Conger.
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 in Nashville. She has also taught music theater and participated in musical shows both as a music director, accompanist, and performer. Picture her in a black wig as Patsy Cline!
Her music education background has shaped her teaching skills both privately and in the classroom, and it continues to influence her teaching and arranging for students on the mountain dulcimer. Her current passion is writing and performing worshipful songs that stir the soul and encourage spiritual reflection.
Learn more about Elaine at www.ElaineConger.com
Bluegrass Dulcimer Day is an all-day, online event to provide Workshops, Community Resourcing, and Support for people who play mountain and/or hammered dulcimer in the bluegrass style. It is on February 28th, 2026 and registration is open NOW at www.bluegrassdulcimer.com
DULCIMOON and QDF WINTERFEST are coming up fast!
RE: ZOOM UPDATE. Erin Mae and Steve hosted a 37 min meeting yesterday to spotlight some changes in the 6.7.2 Zoom Update that arrived this week with some Dulcimoon Faculty in advance of their festival next weekend. We are sharing a video of that exploration and discussion below.
WE ADVISE you to UPDATE ZOOM right NOW to get used to the new locations, names and tools. Many of these have the same functionality, but several are also NEW. (Also, if you use more than one computer to run zoom, make sure you update ALL THAT YOU USE, so your experience will be consistent.)
Highlights:
1. In recording meetings with 3 or more participants, using SPOTLIGHT for the Instructor, Saving TO THE CLOUD, and then viewing the GALLERY to see all the participants preserves a video with the instructor full-size.
2. MEETING INFORMATION has been moved from the Privacy Shield at the top right to the INFORMATION (i) "i" in a circle on the top left.
3. AUDIO SETTINGS There are a host of new audio settings which now open in a Menu on the RIGHT. This is where you can find a variety of microphone settings. In general: have ORIGINAL SOUND ON; TEACHERS: Echo cancellation needs to be ON unless you are using Headphones.
4. SHARING OPTIONS What used to be the GREEN button is now regular text, UNLESS you are SHARING a window. There is a new option to share ZOOM TOOLS and ALL THE WINDOWS from a particular application. Both of these are helpful for teachers who are coaching students in using zoom, and the ability to move between different windows without stopping the sharing each time.
5. The TOOLS in the elipsis (...) now appear in a menu, rather than a list, and can be dragged and added to the workspace.